


Will You Still Love Me?

by delirious_fangirl



Category: The Misfits (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, F/M, M/M, Matt is a lil bean, Matt is like a parent, Original Character(s), Raising a Daughter, bad friend desicions at the start, lots of oc's in the beginning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2019-12-23
Packaged: 2020-10-20 20:55:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,145
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20681798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delirious_fangirl/pseuds/delirious_fangirl
Summary: Swaggersouls and GoodGuyFitz meet and fall in love. They find out what it's like to live in the struggles of the real world, while raising their daughter.*DISCLAIMER*This fanfiction isn't exactly true to their real lives!The dramatic things that happen in this, are hopefully not true, it's just written to work with the plot!I do not own these people, since they are people!





	1. First Meetings and a Boyfriend

Everyone knew that Swaggersouls-or Eric-and GoodGuyFitz-or Cameron/Cam-were in love. Their fans knew, their family knew, and pretty much anyone that knew them, knew they were in love. 

The two had met the summer after Cam graduated school when he was on a trip in the United States with his family. Eric was going into 10th grade and was out walking his dog when he got loose from the leash. Eric ran after him and found him leaning against a tall blonde guy that was laughing and holding a Starbucks coffee. "There you are Buddy!" Eric called out and his dog started thumping his tail against the stranger. 

"I'm sorry about that. My dog got loose." Eric apologized to the blonde. The blonde just laughed and started petting the dog leaning against him. "No problem. The name's Cameron, but everyone calls me Cam." The blonde extended his hand. Eric shook it and said, "My name's Eric." "Well Eric, I like your dog. I'm assuming you live around here if your dog got loose." Eric nodded and put Buddy's leash back on. "Since you have an accent I'm going to assume you aren't from the United States." "You assume correct. I'm from New Zealand." "What're you doing so far from home?" 

"I'm on a trip with my family. I just graduated from Secondary School." When Eric's eyebrows knitted together in confusion, Cam laughed and corrected himself. "High School for you Americans." Eric nodded and his face turned red. Cam laughed again and took a drink from his coffee. "You look to be around my age. Did you just graduate too?" Eric shook his head as Buddy leaned against his legs. "I'm going into 10th grade." 

Cam nodded and the two talked for a while before they exchanged contact information. They recieved each other's phone numbers and Skype usernames to keep in touch. "Cameron!" A woman's voice called out. Cam's mother, followed by the rest of his family emerged from the cafe they had been eating at. "C'mon Cameron. We're going to keep going. Who's this?" "This is Eric. He lives around here. His dog got loose and came over to me." "Isn't that nice." Cam's mother said with a smile. "Well, I'll talk to you later Cam. I better get back to my family. Have fun on the rest of your trip!" Eric said. Cam bid him goodbye and watched Eric retreat down the street. 

Three years later, the two still kept in touch. In fact they called each other on Skype every day and talked so much they were best friends. Since they became so close, the two had started dating two years after they met. Both of their families were perfectly fine with that, and were very supportive of them. Four times a year both families got together to spend time as both sets of parents became friends as well. Eric was graduating soon but he still made sure to call Cam every day. Cam was also invited out to Eric's graduation party which was taking place after the graduation ceremony so Cam would be able to come. 

The night before Eric's graduation, he was in a slump. His family was acting all shady around him like they were hiding something. It turns out his grandma, his favorite person in the whole world, had passed away. Then to top it off, Buddy had gotten attacked by some coyotes and gotten rabies. Which meant he needed to get put down. Cam had called him at their usual time but Eric didn't have the heart to answer him. This would be the first time in three years they hadn't talked to each other. 

Eric was trying so hard not to cry during the graduation ceremony and somehow managed to not burst out crying. When people were coming through the recieving line, Eric was placed next to his best friend Thomas. "Eric, you want to come over later? It can take things off your mind." "Thanks for the offer Thomas. I might. I have to think about it." "Of course." Eric was at the end of the line as his last name was Matthews. His class wasn't a huge class compared to some in bigger cities, but it had about 80 people. Those 80 people all had last names mostly in the K and L section. He and his best friend Thomas Manning were always together because of alphabetical order. 

Eric's family had planned a surprise for him as soon as they found out that Eric's grandma had passed. Since his family knew he would be very sad about everything, they called Cam and asked him to fly out earlier to try and cheer him up. Cam had agreed and they kept it a secret. Cam had been at the ceremony, but had hidden in the back to risk being seen. Cam was currently going through the line of graduates behind most of the crowd to surprise his boyfriend and best friend. 

Cam didn't say anything as he approached the end of the line. Thomas watched Cam approach and felt like something was off. This guy was college age and no one seemed to know who he was. As Cam stopped in front of Eric, his grin grew wider and he cleared his throat. Eric slowly looked up and stood frozen in shock. "You miss me shorty?" Cam asked. Eric's mouth dropped open and he stood in place for about a second before he threw himself at Cam. 

Cam laughed as he returned his best friend's hug. "I'll take that as a yes." Eric didn't say anything as he just hugged his best friend and boyfriend. "What are you doing here?" Eric asked him. "Your parents called me a few days ago and asked me to fly in a little sooner to come cheer you up." Eric grinned and he felt Thomas tugging his elbow. "Who is this?" "Thomas, this is my best friend Cam. Cam, this is my best friend Thomas." Eric introduced. The two shook hands and Thomas still looked confused. "How come I've never met him before?" "You've never met him because Cam is from New Zealand." Eric explained. 

Cam sensed that the two needed to talk alone and he quickly located Eric's family and headed towards them. "Eric, we tell each other everything. How come I've never known about your best friend from New Zealand?" Thomas asked. Eric shrugged. "It's not like I didn't want to tell you, it's just that I never brought it up. I only see him every so often. I wasn't expecting him to be here until three weeks from now." Eric admitted. "How often does he come here?" "4 or 5 times a year." "So, everytime you cancel plans or don't show up to school, you mean this Cam guy shows up and you hang out with him?" Thomas asked.

Eric nodded, "He's one of my best friends. For the past three years we've confided in each other, so obviously I'm going to skip school to be with him." "The way you're talking about him makes it seem like you two are dating." Thomas said. The conversation went silent and Thomas noticed how red Eric's face was. "You two are dating? How long? How old is he?" "He's 20." "Eric!" "What? I've dropped hints that I've been dating someone for the past year!" "Oh yeah, like what?" "Like when I literally said I was a dating a guy." Eric said, starting to fidget with his fingers. 

"He's 20? That's a two year age gap!" "So what? My parents are five years apart and yours are seven!" "But he's an adult that is almost of legal drinking age and you literally just became an adult!" "Thomas, I understand that you care about me, but I made this decison for myself. I chose to date him, and Cam didn't force me into anything." Thomas was about to blow, as he was overprotective when it came to Eric. "I don't trust him." "Well I do. I understand you're mad because I didn't tell you, but maybe this is why." Eric said and turned to leave. "Eric wait." Thomas said catching Eric's shoulder. 

"I'm sorry. You know I'm just worried." "This time you don't have to be. Cam is a good person. He doesn't force me into anything or try to dictate me." "I'm just worried it's going to be a repeat of Andrew." Eric winced and Cam came back up to them. "Cam isn't like him. He never will be." Eric said. "I trust your judgement. But I'm worried about you. If it happens again, I'm scared you'll shut everyone you care about out until it's too late. Like last time." Eric clenched his fists together and he felt a tear slide down his face. "You can fight with me later. I'm going through too much right now to add a whole bunch of crap on top of it." Thomas went to say something else when Cam finally reached them. He rested his hands on Eric's shoulders and leaned down to whisper in his ear. 

"Your parents talked to your school and they said you could leave since you're going through something tough right now." Eric nodded before Cam talked again, "I'll take you home so you can change out of those fancy clothes and relax." Eric nodded again as more tears were sliding down his face. "C'mon. You need to be away from the crowd." Eric nodded and he turned to Thomas. "I'm leaving. I'll call you when I'm not like this and then we can talk." Thomas nodded and warned Eric to be careful. Eric glared at Thomas, "Cam. Isn't. Like. Andrew." He hissed. Cam gently turned him towards the doors and gave him a little push. Thomas watched them leave in Cam's sleek black rental car and he sighed before joining his own family. 

As soon as Cam had pulled out of the parking lot, Eric's hand pushed into Cam's free hand. Cam squeezed it before running his thumb over Eric's knuckles repeatedly. "Was Thomas talking about the Andrew?" Cam asked softly and Eric nodded. "Eric...Love, look at me." Cam said as they stopped at a red light. Eric turned his head to meet eyes with his boyfriend. "I am not, and will never be, like your ex-boyfriend. So please never be afraid to be around me." Eric nodded and he released a shaky breath. "I wasn't expecting Thomas to bring him up." He said softly. Cam squeezed his hand a little tighter and they drove in silence except for the radio until Cam parked the car out front of Eric's house.

Cam grabbed Eric's hand as they entered the house before going up the stairs and into Eric's bedroom. Eric felt like he was struggling to breathe as he got changed out of his dress clothes. "Cam?" Eric called out. Cam appeared within a second and saw how distressed his boyfriend looked before gathering him up in a hug. "Shh, you're okay." Cam softly told his boyfriend as he starting rubbing Eric's back. "It feels hard to breath." Eric whispered into Cam's chest. Cam coaxed Eric out of the bathroom and back into his room. "We're just going to sit, okay? Just take a moment and breathe." Cam told him as they both sat on Eric's bed. Eric nodded and he rubbed the back of his hand against his face, catching the stray tears lingering there. 

Cam pulled the smaller against him so Eric could bury his face in Cam's shirt. "Just don't think about anything right now. Just focus on my heart beat." Cam told Eric softly as he threaded a hand in Eric's hair. Eric did as told and found it odly soothing to listen to Cam's heartbeat. "Can we watch Netflix?" Eric asked and Cam nodded. He grabbed the remote to Eric's tv off the bedside table and turned on their favorite show, The Office U.S. Cam and Eric just cuddled there for a couple of hours, Cam running his hand through Eric's hair and Eric listening to his boyfriend's heartbeat. Eric started to nod off and was almost asleep laying on top of his boyfriend when the doorbell chimed. Eric groaned and he rolled off his boyfriend and stepped flat footed on the floor. 

Cam paused the tv before following his boyfriend down the stairs and onto the main floor of the house. Cam went into the kitchen to grab some water while Eric answered the door. Since the kitchen was open with the rest of the house, Cam didn't even need to make it obvious that he was watching over his boyfriend to make sure he was okay. "Oh hi Thomas." "Hey Eric. We came to cheer you up!" "We?" Eric asked. "Me and the guys." Eric didn't answer and instead shook his head. 

"Why? Thomas you knew I came home with Cam." "We came to spend time with you." "Thomas, you know I don't want so much people here." "Eric, we came to be here with you." Thomas insisted. "Thomas. Stop. You know I already know I came back to my house with my boyfriend." Eric said starting to get upset. "Eric, you already know I don't want to leave you alone with a boyfriend. Something bad could happen again." Eric could feel his outer wall start to crumble and noticed his circle of friends coming up to his house. "No. Please leave. I appreicate you guys wanting to come and make me happy, but I can't physically handle this many people in my vicinity right now."

Thomas was about to protest when their friend group all started happily yelling. Eric felt his wall crumbling down and he felt like he wanted to cry again. Luckily, he felt Cam standing next to him. Eric saw Thomas scowl at the presence of his boyfriend. "Who's that?" Eric's friends asked. "It's his boyfriend." Thomas sneered and Eric tensed up as his other friends didn't know about his sexuality."Eric, you have a boyfriend?" "Please go home. I can't do any of this right now." Eric shut the door to his house and sighed. Tears ran down his cheeks and Cam led him upstairs back to his bedroom. Cam helped him calm down before they returned to their original positions. Eric hated being like this, but he did enjoy being reunited with his boyfriend. 

Eric kept listening to Cam's heartbeat as The Office continued playing in the background. Cam's hand threaded into Eric's hair which was making him drowsy. Cam knew what he was doing and right before Eric fell into slumber he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead. Eric grinned and then fell asleep tucked into his boyfriend's embrace. Cam pulled the blanket over the both of them and then fell asleep soon after.


	2. Relieving Old Secrets

A few hours later, Eric's family arrived home and saw Cam's car out front. They figured both boys were upstairs in Eric's room and went on with their normal activies of the day. Eric's mom Janice was doing some laundry when the doorbell rang. She knew her husband Brian was in the garage fixing their daughter Monica's car so she went to answer it. She pulled open the door to see Eric's friends. She smiled and asked if she could help them. "Is Eric here? We came to cheer to him up." Eric's friend Michael said. "He's upstairs. Come on in. I'll go up and get him." Eric and Thomas's friend circle was made of four other people-Michael, Logan, Kevin, and Mark. Eric's family knew them very well as they came over quite often. 

Janice climbed the staircase and knocked on the door to Eric's room. She didn't get an answer and she quietly opened the door to see Cam and Eric asleep on Eric's bed. She smiled and decided to take several pictures to embarrass them later before shutting the lights and tv off before heading back downstairs. "Sorry guys. He's asleep right now. You are welcome to stay here until he wakes up or you could come back later." Eric's five friends decided to stay there and watched tv while waiting for him to wake up. An hour later all three of Eric's older siblings entered the house.

Eric's siblings went in order from oldest to youngest; Liam, Monica, Adam, Sarah, and Eric. Since Eric was the youngest of five, he was left out of most things. His siblings were seven,eight,nine, and ten years older than him. It made things a little difficult while growing up, but after Eric hit his teenage years he and his siblings all bonded together as siblings. They were almost inseperable then and spent a lot of their free time together. They were also extremely supportive of Eric's sexuality. Liam was the first one that Eric told, and he encouraged Eric to tell their family.

"Mom, where is Eric?" Adam asked as he and Liam wanted to play football with Eric and Cam. "He's upstairs sleeping. You know that things have been rough on him right now." Janice said. "I thought that's why we called Cameron to come here earlier." Sarah said. "It is. He hasn't seen Cameron since his visit four months ago." "Who would've thought he could handle a long distance relationship when he can't even handle going into the mall without getting lost." Monica said. Janice gave the four of them a look, "None of you four have a boyfriend or girlfriend, so I'd be asking him for advice if I were you." Her kids' faces went red and she let out a laugh. "Don't be so hard on him. I'm proud of him for finding someone he likes and trusts. You remember how his last boyfriend was. He was always yelling and being rowdy." 

"I appreciate you all talking about me, but maybe not do it quite so loud." Eric said from the staircase rubbing at his eyes. Liam reached out and threw his arm around his youngest brother. "Sorry little bro." Eric gave them a weak smile and Cam came down the stairs. Eric's siblings all grinned and started staring at him. "Did I do something?" He asked, his voice a little deeper than usual from just waking up. Eric's siblings shook their heads and laughed to which Eric rolled his eyes. "They do this every single time you're here." Eric mumbled which made Cam laugh. "You two up for some football?" Adam asked as Liam tossed him one of their many footballs. Cam shook his head as he rested a hand on Eric's shoulder. "I don't know if that's such a good idea." He said hinting about Eric being sad. Liam and Adam nodded before clapping Eric on the shoulder and leaving the house with their sisters.

Eric sighed and Janice cleared her throat before nodding her head towards the living room where Eric's friends sat watching. Eric turned around and his eyebrows furrowed together. "I thought I told you I didn't want comapny." He said. He felt Cam's hand tighten a bit on his shoulder and he released the tension from his body. "Then how come he's here?" Mark asked, pointing at Cam. Eric frowned at his friends before answering. "Because he was invited. He was invited here because he shows respect to both me and my family." "You're saying that just because he's your boyfriend!" Eric clenched his fists together before calmly answering, "Just because he's my boyfriend doesn't make him a human being. He started out as my friend and he is much nicer to have around." "So you only keep him around because be doesn't beat you?" Eric's eyes turned murderous and he trained them on Thomas. "You traitoring little bitch." He hissed.

Before Cam could stop him, Eric was marching over to Thomas and grabbing him by the shirt collar. "You call yourself my best friend and you know everything I've been through only to get jealous of my boyfriend?" He yanked Thomas off of the couch and opened up the front door. "Get out." Eric said giving Thomas a little push. When Thomas didn't leave Eric glared at him harder and yelled for him to leave. Thomas still didn't leave and Eric let out a frustrated growl before shoving him out the door so he was outside his house. He turned around and glared at the rest of his friends. The four of them scrambled up from the couch and ran out of the house. Eric slammed the door shut and he leaned against it while shaking.

"Eric?" Janice asked her son. Eric didn't answer as flashbacks from his past where overwhelming him. "Eric, what did Thomas mean by that?" Janice asked her youngest child. Eric didn't answer once again, and his face was turning white. Cam stood in front of the American and gathered him up in a hug. It took about two minutes before Cam was able to calm Eric down. Eric sighed in relief and clutched at his boyfriend, burying his face in his neck. "Eric, what's going on?" Janice asked, worry etched in her voice. Eric shakily met eyes with his mother. "Thomas meant everything he said." He whispered. "You mean Andrew used to hit you?"

Eric winced and he clung to Cam tighter. "Eric, did Andrew hit you?" Janice asked and Eric nodded. "Why didn't you tell us?" "Because I didn't want to! I knew you guys would become so overprotective and be so worried about me dating again." "You're right about that. We're lucky that Cameron isn't like that. We know him and his family." Janice said with a sigh. "Please don't tell the rest of the family. Please don't." Eric pleaded with his mother. Janice sighed and nodded. "Okay, but don't hide anything like that again, or I'll be forced to tell the family." Eric nodded and bit his lower lip to keep from crying again.

The first week that Cam was there was a little tense between Eric and his friends. Eric and Cam escaped for a few days as they took a trip to Houston a few hours away. While there they spent time talking to each other and doing fun things around the city. One night after they came back from the pool in their hotel, Eric knew he had to tell Cam the one thing he most dreaded to think about. "Cammy?" Eric asked the taller as he sat on the ground facing his boyfriend, who was laying facedown on the bed. Cam tangled his hand in Eric's hair before answering. "Yes?" "I need to tell you something." Eric said softly. Cam nodded in encouragement and Eric took a deep breath. "Remember how I told you all about Andrew?" Cam nodded. "Tell me what I told you." 

"You told me about how he was so caring towards you and how much you adored him until he turned 21. After he turned 21 he started drinking heavily and became an alcoholic." "Go on." "He started to hit you because he was angry because you wouldn't give him your college money for alcohol. He started hitting you with whatever he could and constantly shoving you. But it was rougher when he was drunk." Eric nodded and he tensed up at the memories. "You also told me the way he regarded you as a person. Always calling you his property and that he owned you and your body, but he didn't get physical with you." Eric stalled and Cam noticed the shift. "Nidge, what's up? You stalled." Eric nodded and gulped. "I lied."

"About what Nidge?" Cam asked, using the nickname, which essentially came from the word ninja, a perfect way to describe Eric. "That he didn't get physical with me." "What are you saying Nidge?" Cam asked gently. "He violated me." Eric forced out, his bottom lip quivering. Cam's hand quickly removed itself from Eric's hair instead going to cup underneath his chin. He tilted his boyfriend's face up and kissed him. Eric was so surprised that he let out a squeak in shock. It wasn't until a few seconds later that he kissed his boyfriend back and pulled Cam closer. "Holy-" Eric started but was interrupted by Cam's lips again. Eric giggled into their kiss which sent vibrations running through both of them.

"Thank you." Cam whispered. Eric's eyebrows knitted together and Cam grinned. "That expression of yours could kill me." Cam said and Eric's face turned red. Cam laughed and poked his nose before explaining himself. "First off all, that was our first kiss together and it was great. Second of all, your confession makes it a bit more easy to tell you mine." Eric's big brown eyes filled with concern and suddenly he felt himself being pulled off the floor. Cam easily moved him from the floor and onto the bed to be wrapped up in Cam's arms. "Around late March of this year, I was hanging around in Wellington with a few of my friends when a girl of about 30 approached us. She talked to my friends for a bit before handing me a piece of paper with her number on it. I threw it away later and thought nothing of it. A few days later, I was at our hotel by myself and the same girl ran into me." "Why did a 30 year old have in interest in you and your friends?" "Because she didn't look 30." Cam said as he hugged his boyfriend to him a bit closer.

"Anyways, she says she's a friend of my sister's and a week later she's there at my house for my sister, Morgan's, engagement party. Since they graduated the same year they were both really close. But when I was asked to get the guest room ready, she followed me in there. I didn't think anything of it until she was tying me down." Cam said through clenched teeth. Eric's eyes seemed a bit more sullen as he realized what Cam was saying. "That little-" Cam put his hand over Eric's mouth before he could start cussing her out. "Then last week I got a phone call saying she was a month pregnant."

Eric didn't say anything and instead buried his face in Cam's neck. Cam placed a hand on the back of Eric's head and started messing with his hair. "I didn't want anything to do with her in the first place and now she's having a kid that's mine because she forced me into it. I couldn't even fight against her because this woman is 30 years old and hands like steel. I tried for this not to happen, but I swear on my life I didn't want this to happen." Eric looked up at him and hugged him a little tighter. "I can tell you didn't. You suddenly tensed up when you told me, which means you're telling the truth."

"So, when did the overcooked turkey leg do this to you?" Cam asked Eric later as they were cuddling while watching tv. "When I was 17. Almost a month before I starting dating you." "If he ever shows up again, let me know and I'll beat his ass for you." Eric giggled and thanked him. "Does anyone else know about this?" Cam asked and Eric shook his head. "I couldn't tell my family that. They'd immediatly start to treat me like a disgusting pig. What about you?" "I haven't told anyone but you. Although, I'm suspecting that once I go back to New Zealand, it's going to come out either from me or her." Cam said with a sigh. "What's the undercooked chicken nugget's name?"

"Erica. She and my older sister Morgan grew up together and are apparently close friends. I think she's going to hate me when she finds out." "But it wasn't your fault." "It won't matter. I was the reactive part of this, so people are going to naturally blame me." Cam said with a sigh. "You know Marina will be on your side." Cam nodded, "Out of the twins, she always has favored me more." Eric scooted into his side more and laid his head down on the taller's chest. His breathing started getting labored and Cam pressed a kiss to his forehead before the two fell asleep wrapped up with one another.

The next morning after breakfast, the couple was packing up for the drive home. On the way back to Eric's house, the two sang along crazily to the radio. Halfway back, Cam's phone rang and be hesitantly pulled it out of his pocket before sighing in relief. "Hey Toby," Cam said into the reciever as he held the phone in between his shoulder and ear. Cam's face turned white and Eric's phone started blowing up along with Cam's. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll see you in a couple of weeks." Cam sighed and Eric turned towards his boyfriend. "Your family knows, don't they?" Cam nodded his head and clenched his hands so tight around the steering wheel that his knuckles turned white.

"I'm assuming your family texted you about my family's arrival?" Eric nodded and Cam released a shaky breath. Eric grabbed his right hand and pulled it off the wheel before squeezing it. "I'll be there with you the entire time. Just remember, it wasn't your fault." Cam nodded and Eric just kept squeezing his hand, always feeling his boyfriend squeeze back harder. "Eric, I don't want to go back." Cam said as they were ten minutes away. "I'll be there with you. Just tell them the truth and if they don't believe you then we'll work around it." Eric said and Cam nodded. Cam turned onto Eric's street and parked at the curb. They got out of the car and grabbed their bags before heading into the house. "Hey, Eric's home everybody!" Liam shouted as he jumped up from his seat on the couch. "Everyone thinks Cameron got a girl pregnant." Liam said quietly to both of them. Cam winced and Eric shook his head. "It isn't what you think." "I already know that Cameron wouldn't have done something like that on purpose. There's probably a back story, but I'm on your side."

"What about the parents?" "They want to split you guys up." "NO!" Eric shouted as he dropped his bag. "I know. It's crazy. We all know you two care about each other too much for Cameron to go off and have a kid with his sister's best friend." Liam said. "She forced herself onto me. She tied me up and I even tried to fight her off. No matter how hard I fought she wouldn't budge." Cam said softly. Eric's hand found his and tightly squeezed it. "Eric Matthews!" "Cameron McKay!" Both adults shuffled their way out to the closed garage where Cam and Eric's families were seated. Cam took one step in, and then took both him and Eric back into the house. "What is she doing here?" He hissed.


	3. Life Is Crazy

"Erica came with us Cameron." His mother Jessica said, clicking her nails together. Erica was sitting next to Morgan with a tear streaked face which Cam, Eric, and Morgan's twin sister Marina could see right through. Eric stepped closer to Cam so that their arms were brushing to show that they weren't to be separated. "I'm not coming in with her in there." "Don't talk about Erica that way! Especially after what you put her through!" Morgan shouted at her younger brother. "What I put her through?! What about what she put me through?!" Cam shouted back. "And what do you mean by that?" Cam's dad Jacob asked. "You mean to tell me that you all think I have any interest in Erica? She's thirty years old, which is ten years older than myself! Besides, I have more interest in Eric."

"Oh that's right. You won't be seeing him anymore." Eric stepped closer to his boyfriend and Cam threw his arm around the shorter. "Yes, I am. I'm twenty, almost twenty-one. I'm capable of making my own decisions." "Yes, but Eric isn't. His parents don't want him to see you anymore." "I'm staying with Cam." Eric protested as he tucked himself into Cam's side. "Eric, Cameron is going to be a father. You shouldn't be with him." Janice told her son. "It shouldn't even be my kid! I didn't even consent to having a kid at this stage in my life! Especially with my sister's best friend!" Cam proclaimed. "Are you saying that you didn't get her pregnant?" Jacob questioned."Not by choice! She forced me into it!" Cam cried out. 

Soon the whole story was spilling out and both families were shocked. "Erica, is this true?" Morgan asked. Erica didn't say anything but after a minute she nodded. "Why did you lie to me?" Morgan asked, sounding a little hurt. "I wanted to be part of your family! Cameron is so attractive and I just wanted to be part of a loving family." "Back off! He's mine!" Eric stated before Cam pulled him even closer. "Why would you even go after him Erica? He's ten years younger and isn't even close to your standards." "Hey!" Cam protested. "She likes guys her age, dark haired, and around her height. You on the other hand are a giant, younger, and light haired." Morgan explained. 

"Erica, would you please apologize to my family for all of this?" Cam asked and Erica nodded. She said she was sorry and both families looked at the blonde. "What?" Cam asked them. "Why didn't you ask her to apologize to you?" Jessica asked her son. "I didn't need an apology. I went through this tough expirence and needed to deal with it." "Who's ready for lunch?" Brian asked, eager to change the subject. They had hamburgers for lunch and everyone ate out in the backyard. Eric strayed as far away from his beloved dog's headstone and Cam stayed glued to his side the entire time. "So, you're going into college in the fall. Anything you particularly want to major in?" Jessica asked as she and her family were seated at one of the picnic tables with Eric. "Not really. I haven't really taken interest in anything so far."

Cam linked their hands underneath the table and squeezed Eric's hand everytime Erica looked their way. Eric was talking to Jacob about cars when Janice came over to him. She leaned down and whispered in his ear. "Eric, there's a man in charge of restraining orders here to see you." Eric's eyes widened in alarm. His hand frantically squeezed at Cam's harder than before and he wanted to jump out of his skin. "Eric, why is he here?" Janice asked, sounding worried. "Because I took charge and got one against...him." Eric vaguely answered in a whisper. He suddenly shot up from the picnic table and darted into the house in an instant. "What is he so worried about?" Jessica asked Janice as she took a seat across from her. "There's a man here about a restraining order. I don't have the faintest idea what this is about."

Eric was trying his hardest not to have a panic attack while he talked to the man about his restraining order. "You see Mr. Matthews, I've come here today to ask if you want to renew your restraining order." "Yes." Eric answered quickly. The man nodded and said Eric would have to come into the offices and sign the new contracts. "Another thing Mr. Matthews. You're going to have to speak to Mr. Henderson." "Absolutely not. I don't want to step a foot in the same room with him. That's the whole point of the restraining order!" Eric said, his voice raising a notch higher. "Mr. Henderson is going to have to be in the same room to renew his contract in front of you. There's nothing to be worried about. We will have several members of security in the room with you." Eric nodded and they set up a date which was set two weeks from then.

When the man left, Eric slowly made his way back outside. He slid back down onto the bench and tangled his hand with Cam's. "Eric, we need to talk about this." Janice said. "No. I don't want to talk about this." "What made you get a restraining order against someone anyway?" Janice asked, not knowing it was a sore spot for her son. Eric started shaking and he shook his head at his mother. "I'm not going to talk about it. I don't want to have to go through that entire situation again." Cam squeezed his hand for comfort so Eric would feel a bit more relaxed. "I will tell you this. It was against...A-Andrew Henderson." Eric forced out before his mother gasped. Eric wanted out of the conversation and Cam sensed it as he stood up and pulled his boyfriend into the house. 

The rest of the night didn't go well either. Eric had declared his group of friends, ex-friends as they crashed his house again and taunted him about his sexuality. Once he declared them ex-friends Cam noticed that Eric became a little more closed off. Cam didn't voice his concerns, even after he found out what was happening on his own. The next night, the two of them were watching the sun set in Eric's backyard when Cam finally confronted him. "Nidge," Cam said as he threaded their hands together. Eric's brown eyes turned to meet Cam's blue ones and he picked up on Cam's worry. "What's wrong?" Eric asked him. "It's about you. I want to help." "Help with what?" "Don't act clueless. I know about your ex-friends doing all this crap. Posting all over social media things that aren't true and texting you offensive things." Eric didn't answer and Cam sighed. "I just want to help you. I hate seeing you sad and miserable because of something you couldn't control."

Eric sighed and nodded. "What am I supposed to do?" "I'll help you do anything, just please don't shut yourself down." Cam pleaded with his boyfriend. Eric nodded and he scooted closer to be next to his boyfriend. Cam wrapped his arm around his boyfriend's waist and pressed a kiss to Eric's temple. "Thank you." Eric whispered and Cam grinned at him. They soon headed off to sleep to be rested for Eric's party the next day. 

Eric's graduation party was a hit. All of Eric's extended family came and stayed at Eric's house. They almost gave Cam a heart attack because he almost tripped over Eric's cousins while fumbling around in the dark for a glass of water. Eric had laughed about it the next morning, to which Cam blushed so red he looked like a tomato. Cam was introduced to Eric's extended family and they seemed to except him as Eric's boyfriend. During the actual party, Eric's cousins were running around the cabin threatening to spill things. Eric's party was held in a party cabin up in the local woods that was big enough to hold a party of this size. Cam stayed at the closest table to Eric and talked to Eric's extended family and parents. Cam's family sat close to him but couldn't help but admit they were uncomfortable with all of the people they didn't know. When the party was over, Eric and his family spent about three hours cleaning everything up before heading home. Eric didn't even bother to change out of his clothes and tugged Cam down into his bed with him before curling up into his taller boyfriend. Cam grinned and laughed before Eric whined at him to cuddle. 

Cam complied and he felt Eric's arms wrap around him before the two coccooned together and fell asleep. The next morning was a little less peaceful. Erica, who still believed she had a chance with Cam, snuck into Eric's room and attemped to wake Cam up. Cam, who was still exhausted from the past week's events, didn't respond. Erica took it the wrong way and thought he was unconsious. She tried waking Eric up but she was given the same response. Which led to Erica screaming that the two of them were dead. People came rushing up the stairs and started screaming, which woke up the two sleeping males with load groans and complaints. Erica screamed in happiness and ran over to hug Cam, only to be pushed away. "Don't touch me." Cam groaned as he wrapped his arms around his smaller boyfriend again. "Why were you two sleeping?" Erica asked."Because it's 6 in the morning!" Eric protested as he tried to fall back asleep again. "Erica, couldn't you tell that they were asleep? What were you doing in here anyway?" Jessica asked.

Erica remained silent and Eric grumbled for everyone to get out. "Please get out. I just wanna sleep!" Most of the people in the room left except for Jessica. "Mom, please get out." Cam said as he rubbed his eyes with his hand. "What were you two doing?" She asked. "We were sleeping until people rudely awakened us." Eric slightly snorted deliriously. Cam grinned before he tangled his hand in Eric's dark hair, causing the younger of the two to hum in happiness. "Okay. Just remember, we leave to go back to New Zealand next week." Cam nodded before Jessica continued on. "And remember, you have to tell Eric about the surprise as well." "Later. When we actually get more sleep." Jessica nodded and closed the door behind her. 

"What's she talking about?" Eric mumbled against Cam's collarbone. "I'll tell you later. Let's sleep first." "Can't argue with that." Eric said and Cam laughed. A few hours of blissful sleep later both guys were up and ready for the day. "Can you tell me now?" Eric asked Cam out of the blue as they sat down to eat breakfast. "Tell you what?" Cam asked, teasing him. Eric crossed his arms and leaned into his boyfriend. "That surprise your mom was talking about earlier." Cam just laughed and took a sip of his coffee. "Maybe I will. Maybe I won't." Cam teased his boyfriend as he poked Eric in the nose. Eric pouted and stuck his bottom lip out, hoping to convince Cam to cave and tell him. Cam just laughed and pecked Eric's pouty lips.

When Eric kept pouting, Cam dramatically sighed before ruffling the shorter's hair. "Alright, alright, I'll tell you." Eric's pout turned into a smile and he eagerly awaited the surprise. "You're coming to New Zealand with us next week." Eric immediatly shot forward and hugged his boyfriend. "Please tell me you're serious." "I am dead serious. My family has your plane ticket and you're sitting on the plane right next to me." "Window or aisle?" Eric asked. He had never been out of the country before and never traveled anywhere by airplane. "The window of course." Cam said with a grin. Eric was so excited that he couldn't stop rambling on to his boyfriend. By the time the week was over Eric was so excited he was bubbling with happiness. Nothing could bring him down, not even the encounter with his ex-friends.

Cam and Eric had gone downtown to the ice cream shop to get some ice cream when they saw Eric's ex-friends. "C'mon! This is the best ice cream shop there is around!" Eric cheered as he led his boyfriend into the shop. "What can I get for you today?" A cheerful woman answered from behind the counter. Eric greeted the woman before getting Cam his favorite ice cream flavor. Cam did the same for Eric and the two were handed their ice creams. "How did you know that Blue Moon is my favorite?" Cam asked as they switched flavors. "The same way you knew that Cookie Dough was my favorite." The two laughed and paid for their ice cream before going to sit down at a high table. "Do you need help getting up into your chair shorty?" Cam teased as he walked behind his boyfriend. Eric turned around and glared at him before they both laughed.

"What's New Zealand like?" Eric asked once the two were seated. "It's smaller than the United States, which you probably already knew. New Zealand is surrounded by ocean on all four sides. It also has beaches bordering the oceans that are really cool. These beaches have cliffs that are really good for cliff diving too." Eric relished everything in his head. "What about the animals?" Eric asked. Cam's smile lit up just a bit brighter. "The animals are one of the best parts. If they aren't seen in the zoos there then you can just drive out of the huge cities and you have a better chance at seeing them. They have tours people can take to go looking for the wild animals." "Well, well, well. Look at what we have here." A voice boomed and Eric flinched as he recognized the voice of his former best friend Thomas. Eric sighed as he turned to face his ex-friends. "What do you guys want?"

"Nothing. We just wanted to introduce you to our new friend." Thomas said with a smirk on his face. "Oh? Who's that?" Eric asked. He and Cam had both finished their ice cream and were now standing and getting ready to leave. "I think you might recognize him." Thomas said as their new friend was now standing by Thomas. "Hello Eric." The man said, his voice deep and rough. Eric looked up and let out a squeak in shock. "I take it you remember him?" "Did you come and find me just to tell me you're friends with him?" Eric asked sounding a little annoyed. Thomas' face wavered before returning back to a smirk. "Really? I thought you'd remember him on a more personal level." Eric rolled his eyes and turned towards the door. Cam had gotten a phone call and stepped out of the ice cream shop and Eric was about to join him when a hand pulled him back. Eric turned his head to see his abusive ex-boyfriend grabbing onto him. Eric yanked his arm away and glared at him. 

"What? Are you afraid of a little contact?" "What is your problem?" Eric asked as he shot Thomas a look. "Ever since graduation you've been so defensive over everything." Thomas didn't answer and Andrew motioned towards Cam, who was standing outside. "Is that your new boytoy?" Andrew asked. Eric clenched his fists and took a step back. "He's not my boytoy." He growled out. "Sure, sure." Andrew said and noticed that he and Thomas were the only ones there with Eric. Andrew took another step closer before Eric slapped him in the face. "You lay your hands on me again and I'll reinforce that restraining order." Eric threatened. Out of the corner of his eye he noticed Cam standing by the door and looking over at them. Eric slipped away from them and grabbed Cam's hand as they both left the ice cream shop and got into Cam's rental car. 

A few days later, Eric had woken up earlier than everyone in the house and gotten ready for his appointment. He silently slipped out of the house and climbed into his car. The drive to the court house was silent. Throughout the appointment Eric didn't look at Andrew and refused to stand within 10 feet of him. Once the papers were signed, a renewed contract was set into place. Andrew Henderson was legally required to stay away from Eric and never to touch him. When Andrew tried to talk to him after the signing he was held back by security guards who escorted him from the room. Eric was free to leave and boy did he ever. He booked it back to his house and finished packing just in time for Cam and his family to wake up. "You ready?" Cam asked the shorter as they stood in the living room. Eric nodded and the two families exchanged goodbyes. 

Erica stood off to the side and observed Eric and wondered why Cam cared about him so much. As she tried to figure it out, Marina walked up behind her and whispered, "You'll never have a chance with my little brother, so stop trying." Erica jumped and turned to face Marina. "What makes you so sure of that?" Marina rolled her eyes. "Listen here you little brat. I don't care if you're Morgan's best friend. You keep your hands off of Cam. He's happy with his boyfriend and I swear to God if you try to split them up I'll take care of you myself." Marina threatened and Erica nodded. "Just because you're pregnant, as you forced Cam into it, doesn't mean you have any authority here. Cam may not want any part in this kid's life. Or maybe he doesn't want you to keep it. Whatever he chooses, you should do your best to follow through with it." Erica nodded in defeat before Cam's family joined the two women. "Are you two all ready to go?" Marina and Erica nodded and they waited for Eric to finish saying goodbye to his brother. 

The rest of Eric's family had left and the only one that had stayed behind was Liam. He and Eric were deep in conversation about what could happen. "Liam, I promise I won't wander off. I'm not eight years old anymore." "That won't stop me from worrying about you." "I'll only be gone for a week." "That's plenty of time for things to change." "What are you talking about?" "Your boyfriend is turning twenty-one." "So? I'll be there to celebrate his birthday." "He's going to be of legal age. That could be trouble because he might ditch you to go drinking. I'm just warning you. Eric, I know you've been hurt in the past, both physically and emotionally by boyfriends and I don't want history to repeat itself." "It won't happen this time. Cam is a good person. His family is nice and I 100% believe Cam would never lay a wrong hand on me." "What about Andrew?" Liam asked and Eric flinched. "I got a restraining order against him. He's not allowed to talk to or touch me." "Good. If I see him I'll beat him up for ever hurting my little brother." "Cam isn't like him. I promise you he'll never be like him either." Liam nodded and he hugged his brother tightly. 

"Just promise me you'll facetime me every night." "I promise." Liam smiled and gently pushed him towards Cam and his family. "Have fun." He whispered and Eric saluted him. The seven of them left for the airport and Cam noticed his boyfriend seemed a little tense. "You okay?" Cam asked and Eric nodded his head. "Is it airport security?" Cam asked. Eric nodded and his face turned red. "Don't be embarrassed. It's a tricky thing. We'll help you I promise." Cam kept his word as both he and Marina helped him get through security and onto the plane. "Now we just have to wait until the plane takes off." "Is it scary?" Eric asked Cam as the two watched Cam's family get situated in their seats. "At first it is. Once we're in the air it won't seem as scary." Eric didn't seem reassured and when the flight attendant announced they were taking off Cam held his boyfriend's hand. He comforted him by brushing his thumb against the shorter man's knuckles repeatedly. Eric watched the plane get higher and higher into the sky before it leveled out. He let out a deep breath and he untensed. "That wasn't so bad." He said as he met eyes with the blonde. Cam grinned before squeezing his boyfriend's hand. 

"It's going to be a long flight. You should sleep." "What about you?" Eric asked. "I'll fall asleep sooner or later. Don't worry about me." "I'm always going to worry about you." Cam grinned before sliding a pillow over to the shorter. "Sleep." Eric rolled his eyes and listened to his boyfriend as he curled up in his seat and fell asleep almost instantly. Cam unlinked their hands so he could mess around on his phone until he fell asleep himself. Fourteen hours later the plane was touching the ground in Auckland, New Zealand. Eric's eyes snapped open and he noticed that Cam was watching him with a gentle gaze. Eric could feel his nerves getting the best of him and his face turned red again as he curled up in his seat. Cam knew that Eric was getting anxious over the plane landing and he linked their hands before Eric untensed. "Why am I so anxious about this? I've never flown before and I'm so nervous." Eric said in a small voice. Cam smiled before answering, "You most likely have a fear of flying. Since you've gone eighteen years without flying, you aren't used to it. Which is why it makes you so anxious." Eric nodded and he kept his eyes trained on his feet as the plane touched the ground. 

Once the plane stopped, Eric finally relaxed and noticed how tired he was. He just wanted to go lay down somewhere and sleep. Even though he had slept most of the plane ride, it hadn't been enough for his body. He yawned all the way into Cam's family van. He noticed that no one else was tired and he sleepily asked Cam why. "We've flown back and forth before. It's going to take a bit to get used to." Cam said with a grin as his boyfriend rested against him. When the van pulled to a stop Cam nudged his boyfriend to sit up so they could get out. "Come on. We're going to switch cars now." Cam told him softly. Eric groaned and rubbed at his eyes before letting his boyfriend lead him to Cam's car. Eric buckled himself in before curling up in the seat. "Remember, you two need to come back over tomorrow night for Morgan's engagement party." Cam nodded as he opened up the trunk of his car and putting both his and Eric's suitcases in. He shut the trunk and nodded at his mother. 

"Don't do anything stupid. Remember, Eric is an American and has never left his country before." Jessica said and Cam rolled his eyes. "Yes Mom I know." Cam climbed into the driver's side of his car and turned off the radio before driving down the street towards his house. Cam didn't own a very big house, but it was a nice one for its size. Cam pulled into the cement driveway before cutting the engine. He took the suitcases and backpacks into the house and dumped them in his bedroom before coming back to get Eric. He nudged his boyfriend awake, just barely enough for him to walk into the house and collapse onto Cam's bed. As Eric curled up underneath the blankets, Cam grinned and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Sweet dreams love." He whispered before shutting the door to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Cam decided to catch up on some videos for his channel and he stepped into his office. He plugged his headphones into his computer and started to edit three videos he had saved from a few weeks ago. He finished editing one of them and had it saved and ready to upload when the doorbell rang. He stood up from his chair and stretched his arms above his head. He felt his shoulders and back pop and he groaned. He walked through his house going toward his front door. He peered through the keyhole and saw his best friend standing on his doorstep with his girlfriend. Cam grinned and he pulled open the door for Toby to immediatly jump on him. "I MISSED YOU SO MUCH!" Toby shrieked as he wrapped his arms tightly around Cam. 

Cam softly laughed and returned the hug. "How could you get up and leave me for three weeks?" Toby asked. "Somehow I think you survived." Cam whispered. "What's up with you? You're quieter than usual. Did everything go okay in America?" Cam nodded, "Everything was fine. My boyfriend came back with my family and me. He's never been out of the United States and he's very tired. So he's asleep right now and I wanted it to be quiet for him." "You're gay?" Toby's girlfriend, Abby, asked. "Have been for the past year but thanks for noticing." Cam sarcastically joked with a laugh. "He's been bi for the longest time." Toby told her and Abby nodded. Once Toby let go of Cam, Abby hugged him as well, as the three of them were good friends. "Go on into the living room. I'll be right back." Cam said as he shut the door behind his friends. 

Toby watched him disappear into the back of the house. He heard Cam's computer and editing software shut down before Cam's footsteps walked to a different door. Cam was standing at his bedroom door and he opened up the door before quickly slipping inside. He made his way over to the bed to check up on his sleeping boyfriend. Eric was tangled in Cam's sheets and had his face buried in his arms. Cam smiled and gently ran a hand through Eric's hair before leaving the room. "How's your boyfriend?" Abby asked as Cam sat down on the slightly larger than average chair. "He's asleep. I made him sleep on the plane, but that didn't seem to help him very much." "So he's from the United States?" She asked and Cam nodded. "How old is he?" Toby shot his girlfriend a look before Cam sat forward in his chair. "He's eighteen. He just graduated from school." "How long have you been dating?" "A year." At Abby's disaproving look Cam rolled his eyes.

"Look, I know you're a mother hen, but it isn't like that. I met him three years ago after I graduated." "Ab, there's nothing wrong with their relationship. I've never met Eric, but he seems to be like a little cinnamon roll." "Did you just call my boyfriend a cinnamon roll?" Cam asked, getting defensive over the younger. "I meant it in a good way. When can we meet him?" Toby asked as he set his mug of coffee down on a coaster. "When he's awake and he wants to meet you. He may a little uncomfortable with it." "Why?" Toby asked in confusion. "Well, his friends back in America aren't really...his friends anymore. They flipped out on him when they found out he was bisexual. I'm not sure if he'll be nervous to meet my friends." Their conversation carried on to different things including Cam's birthday. After a couple hours of conversation three sets of ears picked up on a door open up in the back of the house. Their conversation faltered and a voice rang out in their silence. "Cam?" 

Cam turned his head towards his friends and said, "Excuse me." He stood up from his chair and left the living room. "How did you sleep?" Cam softly asked his boyfriend as Eric rubbed at his eyes. "Cuddle?" Eric sleepily asked as he stepped forward to wrap his arms around Cam's middle and bury his face in Cam's chest. Cam wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and started stroking his hair. "My best friend and his girlfriend are here right now. You can meet them now if you'd like to. They want to meet you, but I left that choice up to you. I didn't want to push you into anything." Eric shook his head and looked up at his blue eyed boyfriend. "I don't know if I want to meet them yet. After my old friends found out I was bi, they flipped out on me. I don't want your friends to flip out on you because of me." Cam tried to reasure him that they wouldn't flip out but it didn't do any good. "Not today. I'll let you introduce me at your birthday party." Eric said, his voice disappearing on the last words. "Is something worrying you about my birthday?" Cam asked him softly. 

Eric fidgeted with the bottom of Cam's t-shirt before he sighed and nodded. "Before we left the U.S. Liam told me that you'd change after you turned twenty one. He said you'd go out drinking the night of your birthday and you wouldn't be the same ever again." When Eric stalled Cam prodded for more information. "You're leaving something out Nidge." "I'm worried you'll be like Andrew." Eric said quietly. He buried his face into Cam's chest again as an attempt to hide. Cam didn't know what to say as he held his boyfriend tighter to him. "I promise you on my life Eric, that I will never lay a wrong hand on you. You trust me enough to come with me to a strange place, so trust me on this. If I ever do drink, I will never be like Andrew. That man deserves to be thrown in jail for the things he's done to you." Eric nodded but his fear wasn't completely diminished. "If you don't want to meet two of my friends right now, you don't have to. You can wait for my birthday to meet all my friends." "Thank you." Eric whispered. 

"Cam? What's taking you so long?" Abby asked Cam from the doorway of the living room. Eric tensed up before Cam's hand returned to tangling in his hair. "I'll be back in a minute." The woman nodded and went to sit back down. "They'll be gone soon. Then we can cuddle, I promise." Eric nodded and he slipped back into Cam's bedroom. Cam came back into his living room to meet the stares of his friends. "What?" "Nothing." Toby said with a grin. Cam's eyebrows furrowed together before they jumped right back into their previous conversation. Toby and Abby left around dinnertime with promise to come hang out with Cam soon. Cam saw the two of them out of his house before Eric emerged from his bedroom and they made dinner. "I think this pizza is better than American pizza." Eric said as they sat down at Cam's dinner table. "American pizza isn't even the real kind of pizza." Cam said with a laugh. 

They finished dinner quickly before Cam popped in a movie as Eric went and grabbed blankets. The shorter of the two came back into Cam's living room wrapped head to toe in blankets. "I don't think you grabbed enough blankets." Cam sarcastically told his boyfriend. Eric rolled his eyes and set all the blankets down on the floor. As the movie started Cam and Eric wrapped themselves in blankets and cuddled together. "Is this your favorite movie?" Eric asked, his voice muffled from all the blankets. Cam pushed the blankets away from Eric's face just enough and nodded. "I never thought you would like the Terminator so much." "The second one is better." Cam said and Eric gasped. "Nuh uh! The first one is soooo much better!" Eric exclaimed. 

"Nope. The second movie makes the terminator so much nicer!" Cam replied. "But the terminator isn't supposed to be nice!" Eric argued. "But he's like John Connor's dad in the second movie!" "What about Kyle?" Eric asked. "Screw Kyle. He didn't do anything for John!" "He's literally John's father!" "Arnold's Terminator is definetly more iconic! He's so much more badass in the second one." Eric shook his head. "Nuh-uh. Arnold is better in the first movie!" "No way! Arnold is better as the nice terminator!" "Oh please! What about that chick that was the bad terminator in the third film?" "She was overrated. It was completly unrealistic!" "The entire franchise is supposed to be unrealistic Cam!" Eric said trying to hold back his laughter. It didn't work however and the two started laughing. When their laughter died down Eric scooted over on the couch to be closer to his boyfriend. "There's plenty more room. I won't bite." Cam told Eric. "I have a boyfriend." Eric said with a grin. "I don't think he'd mind." Cam grinned and tilted Eric's head back to press a kiss to his lips. Eric laughed and he felt Cam's arms curl around his waist and pull him closer.

Eric hummed in content and leaned his head back to rest against his boyfriend. As soon as the second Terminator movie started, Eric was fast asleep. Cam followed suite pretty quickly and they fell asleep cuddled together on Cam's couch. The next morning, Cam awoke from his phone vibrating underneath his head. He slowly reached for his phone and saw it was his mom calling. He groaned and pressed answer before holding it up to his ear. "Why haven't you returned any of my calls?" Jessica angrily shouted. Cam rolled his eyes, "Mom, it's seven-thirty in the morning. I've been sleeping." "And what about Eric?" "Sleeping." "Marina and Morgan are coming over." "Why? Mom, I'm turning twenty-one in a few days. Why can't you trust me to be alone with my boyfriend? Nothing is going to happen to him. You don't need to send the twins to come look after us like we're little kids." "Eric is only eighteen, Cam." "So? He's not a toddler. He's an adult just like the rest of us and he doesn't need to be treated or looked after like a baby." Cam said, sounding exasperated. "Don't raise your voice at me." "Don't treat my boyfriend and myself like babies and maybe I won't have to." Cam snapped and hung up his phone. 

He buried his phone back underneath the couch pillows and curled his arms around his boyfriend a little tighter, who was blissfully asleep with his back pressed into Cam's chest. The two had almost always fallen asleep curled into each other for a sense of presence. They both needed to know that the other was still there. Cam tried to fall back asleep when he heard the lock to his house jiggling. Ten seconds later, his two older sisters entered the house in search of the two males. Cam wanted to beat his head against the wall when he saw them and he rolled his eyes. "Marina, in here." Morgan called out and together they entered the living room. "Why are you here? Did you just come become Mom doesn't trust us alone?" Cam asked. "Chill little bro. Mom is paying us to watch over you." "Well, would you stop? Eric and I are adults. We aren't babies that need to be watched twenty-four seven." "That's not what Mom thinks. After you hid that secret for two months she's been ticked off at you." "You think that was my fault? You think I wanted to be involved with Erica? I want absolutely nothing to do with her or the child she's having." 

"You may have a chance to get what you want in this situation." Morgan said as she and Marina sat down in the chairs placed in the living room. "What do you mean by that?" Cam asked as he sat up without waking his boyfriend. "There's going to be a court case dealing with this. Whatever happens in the court is final." Morgan explained. "And you're okay with whatever happens? Even if it means your best friend doesn't get to raise her child around us?" Cam asked her. "You're my brother. Even though you're a dork, you come first. She's my best friend. They come and go, but family is forever." Cam smiled at his sisters before Cam was forced to wake Eric up for breakfast. "I don't wanna go to school." Eric mumbled against Cam's shoulder as he sat up. Cam laughed and kept gently shaking him until his eyes blinked open. "Morning Sleeping Beauty." Cam teased him and Eric pulled all the blankets around him to hide. "I'm not a princess." Eric stated as he glared at his boyfriend. Cam laughed and ruffled Eric's hair. "We're going to eat breakfast. What do you want?" "Sausage." Eric answered. 

"Alright. M&M, what do you two want?" "Eggs." They both chorused at once. Cam smiled and pushed up off the couch. He went to start breakfast before Eric untangled himself from the blankets and went to help Cam make breakfast. "Thanks Nidge." Cam said as Eric handed him some of the ingredients without being asked. Marina and Morgan observed the couple in silence as they cooked breakfast. "M&M! Breakfast!" Cam called out twenty minutes later. The four of them sat down at Cam's dinner table and ate breakfast. When Morgan and Marina were seated on the couch watching Netflix, Cam had taken all the blankets back to his room and was making his bed when Eric came out of the bathroom from taking a shower. He yawned as he kicked his shoes aside and leaned against his boyfriend. "You tired Nidge?" Cam asked his small boyfriend as his arms curled around him. Eric nodded and yawned again. 

Cam leaned down and pressed a kiss to Eric's forehead before brushing his hair back. "You just woke up." "Never been out of Texas. This is a big stretch for time." Eric mumbled and Cam nodded before guiding him over to the bed. "We can just cuddle until it's time for the party tonight if you want." Eric nodded and pulled his boyfriend down onto the bed next to him. Eric tucked himself into Cam's side and listened to Cam's steady heartbeat. He was beginning to fall asleep again and Cam knew this as he started to hum a song Eric didn't recognize. All of a sudden Eric found himself asleep. "Cam?" A voice sounded at the door. Cam rolled his eyes before telling his sister to come in. "Are you guys just going to lay here all day until Morgan's party?" Marina asked. Cam nodded before Marina smiled. "I'm happy for you. I'm sorry Mom is breathing down your neck. But if we're being honest, you're lucky she asked us to look over you two instead of her or Dad." Cam nodded in agreement before Morgan joined Marina at the doorway. "We're going to come back in a few hours. Remember, if you go anywhere, you have to tell us." Cam lived up to his word, and they didn't leave his house for the entire day. 

An hour before Morgan's party, Cam woke Eric up so they could get ready for her party. "Sleep." Eric mumbled, which made Cam laugh. "C'mon. We can't be late to the party." Eric kept grumbling about sleep but rolled off the bed to get ready. Twenty minutes later, Cam was driving them over to his parent's house for Morgan's engagement party. "Is anyone else besides your family going to be here?" Eric asked. He seemed to be awake for the most part. Cam just hoped it would stay that way so he could enjoy himself at the party. "A few close friends of Morgan's, and a few of her fiance's." "I'm going to assume the burnt chicken nugget is going to be there." Eric said as he drummed his fingers against the dashboard. "She might. I'm not sure Morgan trusts her as much anymore." Cam said. "Good. She makes you upset and I hate seeing you upset." Cam grinned at his younger boyfriend and suddenly was reminded of something Toby had said earlier. "Nidge, what would happen if someone were to give me alcohol at my birthday party." Cam asked as he linked their free hands together. "I would hope that you wouldn't drink it. I know that I can't force you not to drink, but I hope you don't go to the extent of what Andrew did." Eric said softly. "I will never be like him, I promise." Eric nodded and leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Thank you." 

The party wasn't that hyped up. In fact, it was just having cake and all the of age guests heavily drinking. Which left Cam and Eric to curl up together on the couch inside the house while everyone else stayed outside. People rarely came into the house and if they did, they were too tipsy to even awknowledge their presence. When the party was almost over, Morgan's fiance came stumbling into the house. Cam had gone to the bathroom, leaving Eric alone in the living room. "Who are you?" He asked, seeming confused. "You must be Connor. I'm Eric, Cam's-" "He's my boyfriend." Cam finished for him as he jumped over the couch and landed in a sitting position next to Eric. Eric grinned and nodded. "I've never met you. How long have you two been dating?" "A year. You've also never met him because he doesn't live in this country." "Where is he from?" Connor asked his future brother-in-law. "I'm from The United States." Eric said, extending his hand. Connor drunkenly shook his hand before plopping down in the chair close by. 

"So, your sister tells me you're a lightweight when it comes to drinking." "I'm not of legal age." Cam told him. "You must be excited for your birthday this week! Twenty one is the gateway to great memories! The twenty first birthday is a time that you'll never forget." "I think we have different ideas when it comes to legal drinking age." "Tell you what Cameron. I'll take you and your family out for drinks as soon as your party is over." Connor offered. Cam shook his head and linked hands with his boyfriend. "No thanks. I'd rather not leave my boyfriend. That wouldn't be very considerate of me." "Bring him with!" "He won't be of legal age for a couple of years." It finally clicked for Connor and his eyes widened as he realized what he had been saying. He was about to say something else when Cam's family came into the house. "It's getting pretty late. Cam, you and Eric should probably go before it gets too late." Jessica said. Cam stood up after checking his watch to see it was past midnight. Eric stood up beside him and the two said their goodbyes before they left. When they got back to Cam's house, they wordlessly tumbled into Cam's bed and fell asleep tangled with each other. 

When daylight came, Cam spent the entire day taking his boyfriend around the city and showing him everything. Eric had gotten tired throughout the day, as his jet lag still hadn't gone away. Even though he was tired, he still enjoyed himself and had fun every place Cam took them. At the end of the day the couple had several matching sets of clothes and Eric had gotten several mementos from around the city. "So, originally the party was going to be here tomorrow." Cam said as they were getting ready to sleep. "Yeah?" Eric asked. "Until my parents decided to invite most of my extended family and all of my friends. Last night she told me the party has always been planned at the family house. When are they going to stop treating me like a baby?" Cam said with a sigh. Eric wrapped his arms around him as they started to cuddle. "My parents are the same way. They thought I couldn't handle being in a long distance relationship. I proved them wrong. If you care about someone enough, you can make it work. Just like we did." "What are you saying?" Cam asked. "There's a solution to this problem. You just have to find a way to make it work." Cam rolled his eyes at his boyfriend cheesy attempt at helping. 

"I'm dead serious Cam." "I know, I know. And I appreciate the help." "Of course Kiwi." There was a moment of silence in the darkness of Cam's room. "Did you just call me Kiwi?" "I did." "Where did you get that from?" "It's your nickname. You call me Nidge. So I'll call you Kiwi." Cam gave a small laugh before feeling his boyfriend curl into him. "Why are you so tall?" Eric asked, his voice muffled from Cam's shirt. "I was blessed by the Jolly Green Giant." Eric groaned and Cam laughed again. "Let's go to sleep shorty." "I am not short! You're just freakishly tall!" Eric protested. Cam laughed and ruffled his boyfriend's hair. "Let's just sleep. We have a party tomorrow." Cam didn't feel his boyfriend tense up against him with his choice of words. Cam didn't notice the sad and slightly scared look that his boyfriend wore until it was almost time to leave for the party. Cam had been looking for his small boyfriend for five minutes and wondered where the heck he had disappeared to. Cam kept looking around when his ears picked up on some jagged breathing. He quickly scanned his living room before he noticed that a door to his rack of cabinets was slightly open. He crossed the room and pulled open the door to find Eric curled up into a ball, having a panic attack. "Nidge? Hey, what's going on?" Cam asked as he leaned down to be level with his boyfriend. 

Eric didn't verbally answer, but instead pointed at his boyfriend. "Me? Did I do something?" Cam asked gently. Eric shook his head and gestured about a party. "Is it my birthday?" Eric seemed to be taking bigger gasps as his body shook more. As soon as Eric nodded Cam pulled his boyfriend out of the cabinet and into a tight embrace. Cam held him tight and rubbed his back to sooth his panic. After a few minutes, Eric had calmed down enough to talk. "Nidge? You want to tell me why you have fear when it comes to my birthday?" Cam asked him gently. Eric nodded and inhaled before talking. "I really like you Cam. To the point where I don't want you to turn out the same way Andrew did. If you became the same person that Andrew did...I'd have to let you go. And I don't want to do that." Eric wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and Cam smiled into his hair. He didn't tell Eric what he planned to do if he was given alcohol tonight. He didn't tell, so he could show his boyfriend how much he cared about him. "C'mon. Let's go get ready for the party. And I promise you, I won't be like Andrew." Eric nodded and let himself be pulled up. 

Half an hour later they were headed back to Cam's family house again. Eric's uneasiness didn't go away, but he chose to ignore it. He trusted Cam, and he believed him, even if his anxiety didn't. Cam's first task was introducing Eric to his friends. "Toby!" Cam called out and waved him and Abby over. "I want to introduce you to my boyfriend. This is Eric. Eric, this is my best friend Toby and his girlfriend Abby." They exchanged greetings and Cam's other friends came over. Cam introduced them to Eric, "Guys, this is Eric. These are my idiot friends Jordan and Jayden." The twins said hello and the six of them talked for a minute before Cam and Eric were being summoned by Cam's parents. "Cam excused them and turned to Eric. "Ladies first." Eric glared at him and smacked him across the arm. "Shut up." Cam grinned and they both walked away together. "Cameron, are you wanting to have cake and presents inside or outside?" "Gifts? People really brought gifts?" "Yes. I told them to. I even gave them a list in case they wanted ideas." Cam rolled his eyes before answering, "Outside. That way there's room for everybody." His parents nodded before they called everyone over a hour later. 

Everyone was having fun and they were excited to see what Cam was given for his twenty first birthday. Eric sat down next to Toby, who seemed to really be warming up to him. Cam was sitting across the lawn from them and both of the people closest to him could tell how uncomfortable he was. He opened gift after gift of clothes or giftcards when he came to the last one. "This is from Connor and Morgan." Jessica announced before handing it to Cam. Cam immediatly knew what it was and he internally groaned. He still opened it and just stared at the bottle of alcohol. He was about to do something very risky, but he didn't care how bad it would make him look. "I can't accept this." He said, turning towards his sister and her finace. "Yes you can. You're twenty one dude." Connor said. Cam shook his head and held it out to them. "I really can't." "It's a gift Cam. You can keep it." Morgan said, both of them being confused. "I really can't take this. If you guys won't take it back, I'll smash it." Morgan and Connor thought he was bluffing so they told him to keep it. So Cam did what he promised. He met eyes with his boyfriend, and dropped the bottle onto the ground. It shattered into pieces and everyone gasped, except for Eric. He had the biggest grin on his face and he just wanted to kiss and slap his boyfriend at the same time. 

Almost everyone started shouting at Cam and he just sat there with a grin on his face. "What the hell was that Cameron McKay!?" Jacob yelled at his son. Cam just grinned at him. "Clean this up! When you're done go into the house and wait there for all the guests to leave!" "Dad, I'm twenty one. You don't have to treat me like a child. I haven't done anything wrong." Jacob rolled his eyes and he told all the guests that the party would still go on, just without Cam. Eric's mouth dropped open and he immediatly tore out of his seat to come stand at Cam's side. Cam just kept grinning as he threaded their hands together. "That's fine. I didn't want this big of a party anyway." Cam said as he stood up. "I'll help you." Eric said as he trailed Cam into the house. As soon as they were inside the house, Eric tumbled into his boyfriend and hugged him tightly. Cam wrapped his arms around him in return. "Thank you. I can't believe you did that." Eric said. "I did it for you. You're more important to me than alcohol." "You didn't have to do that." "But I wanted to. Nidge, I did it to show how much I care about you." Cam said softly. Eric grinned against Cam's chest. "Thank you Kiwi." "Only for you Nidge." They seperated to grab brooms to go clean the mess up. 

Once they were done, Cam's parents made sure that Cam went inside before going back to the party. Eric sat down on the couch and Cam rested his head on his lap while he laid down on the couch. Since he was so tall his legs partially dangled off the couch. Eric's hand tangled in his boyfriend's blonde hair and they started talking. "Hey Nidge?" Cam asked. "Yes Kiwi?" "Please don't hate me for what I'm about to say." "I'm listening." Eric said as he continued to stroke soft blonde hair. "I love you." Eric didn't say anything for a minute and Cam started to ramble before Eric put a hand over his mouth. Cam stopped talking and Eric removed his hand. "I love you too you giant." Cam processed what his small boyfriend had said and the biggest smile Eric had ever seen appeared on Cam's face. Before Eric could react, Cam had sat up and pressed their lips together. Eric squeaked before returning the gesture with a grin. Cam laid his head back down on his boyfriend's lap before Eric's hand continued to tangle in his blonde hair. 

"How long?" Eric asked him. "Ever since you opened up to me about your ex-boyfriend and trusted me that much to tell me the biggest thing a person should never have to deal with." Eric's face turned red and Cam smiled. "When did you know?" Cam asked the shorter after a minute. "I was a little unsure at first. The first time being around you felt different was when you came through the recieving line at my graduation. The fact that you dropped everything to come and make me feel better from a far away country showed me how much you care. The moment I knew that I loved you for sure, was when you smashed that bottle of alcohol. You giving up alcohol made me positive that I loved you. Even though it was only one bottle, I was the only one that really knew you gave up alcohol entirely. For me." Cam grinned at him and threaded their hands together. The two sat in peaceful silence until Cam had fallen asleep from Eric's soothing touch. Eric was quite content to know that he made his boyfriend calm. Eric had been keeping up a steady pace with keeping his boyfriend calm and asleep when all that went down the tubes and harsh voices rang out in the silence. 

"Cameron McKay! What the heck were you thinking!" "That was an expensive gift you destroyed!" Eric wanted to tell Cam's family to be quiet and that Cam was asleep, but it was too late. The blonde groaned softly and his eyes blinked open as he sat up on the couch. His family screamed at him and Cam just sat there and took it with a smile on his face. "Why are you so happy anyway? You're acting as if you don't care about that alcohol you smashed." Morgan said. "I don't." Cam said. Cam's family and Connor all gasped and started asking a million questions while yelling at him. "Jeez. They're acting like this is the end of the world." Cam said, making Eric smile. "It was you!" Jessica yelled as she pointed at Eric. "Me? What did I do?" Eric asked. "I heard you two talking when you came inside to get a broom! You were thanking him for smashing that alcohol! You've turned my son into a troublemaker!" "Mom, don't say that! Eric didn't do anything wrong." Cam said. Jessica glared at her son, "Don't talk back to me!" "I'm not talking back. I'm telling you the truth. Eric didn't tell me to do it. I did it because I wanted to." "And why was that?" Jacob asked. "I don't think it would be very polite of me to say it without permission." His family started yelling again and Cam met eyes with Eric. His boyfriend nodded before standing up and going down the hall towards the bathroom. 

"Listen! If you want to know why I smashed it, I'll tell you!" "Then tell us!" Morgan yelled. "I smashed that bottle for a reason! That reason was to show Eric I was giving up alcohol!" "Why would you do you that?!" They shouted back at him before Cam clenched his fists at his sides. He tried to tell them, but each time he was cut off. Finally, he had enough and he raised his voice to be heard. "Eric's ex-boyfriend was an abusive alcoholic!" His family went silent and they looked like they had seen a ghost. "He was afraid that I would turn out the same way, and so I smashed that bottle to show him I wouldn't." Cam said in a softer voice. Cam felt a presence at his side and he didn't need to look to know it was his boyfriend. Their hands threaded together and Cam swallowed before talking. "Look, I'm not asking you to understand it or even accept it. But I do. Eric is my boyfriend and I care about him." His family stayed quiet and they looked extremely uncomfortable. "I don't care if you're mad at me because of the alcohol thing. But if I didn't do it, I wouldn't be able to stand seeing my boyfriend in pain." Just when Cam thought he was really going to get it, Marina rushed forward and hugged him. "That is the sweetest thing I've ever heard!" She squealed before Morgan was joining her, making Cam turn beet red.

Cam's twin sisters let him go after another big hug and stepped back by their parents. "It was still a stupid thing to do. Someone could've gotten hurt." Jessica scolded. Cam rolled his eyes, "I know Mom, but Morgan and Connor could've taken it back." "But they didn't want to." Jacob said. "That's why I smashed it. I had to get rid of alcohol somehow." Eric kept his grin hidden and instead squeezed Cam's hand. "We should go. There's no use in staying here to do nothing." "But it's your birthday party." Jessica protested. "It's not my birthday party. It's your's and dad's birthday party. I wanted to have it at my house and you two insisted that it be here instead. Then you took control of the guest list and invited all these people. I wanted it to be people close to me, like my friends and our family. I didn't ask for any extended family here because they aren't that close to me." Cam had let go of Eric hand to reach back onto the couch for his phone. He headed to the front door and he pulled the door open. "Eric, you don't have to follow him. You can stay and enjoy the party if you'd like." Jessica offered. Eric didn't even hesitate to shake his head and join Cam at the front door. He linked their hands again and grinned. "The party wouldn't be any fun without Cam." Cam grinned at his short boyfriend and waved at his family before the two left the party.


	5. Someone To You

Over the next two years, Eric and Cam were never able to meet up in person. When Christmas break finally came two years after Eric had gone to New Zealand, Eric was back in his family's home with Shawn, his college roomate and best friend, who was staying with Eric until it was time to go back to school. Shawn felt lucky to have Eric as a best friend, however he began to question his luckiness when he realized how much Eric was going to talk his ear off about Cam. "Jesus Christ Ripply! If I would've known how much you were going to talk about your boyfriend, I wouldn't have signed up to be your best friend and opted to stay with you all of December." Shawn complained as he shoved his face into a pillow from Eric's bed. "Oh shut up. You didn't have anywhere else to go. And you're still using that nickname?" Eric asked as he turned to face his best friend. "Of course I am! How could I not? The first time I met you, you threw an empty bag of Ripply's Potato Chips at me." "That was an accident! I didn't know you were standing in front of the garbage can." Eric protested as they started laughing.

A knock on Eric's bedroom door caused their laughter to die down. "Come in!" Eric called out, his mom stepping into the room. "Hey Mrs. M!" Shawn called out and Janice smiled. "Hello Shawn. Eric, there's a surprise downstairs for you." Eric's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion and Janice's smile widened. "Trust me. You'll love this surprise." Eric stood up from his desk chair and tucked his phone into his back pocket. He started down the stairs and when he reached the bottom of the landing he looked around. He looked back upstairs at his mother and she said, "Check the living room." Eric walked into the living room, and he thought he was going to pass out. Matt, his best friend since elementary school was here, after 6 years of being in Florida. "Matty, please tell me you're real." "I'm as real as it gets Nova." Matt said, his face lighting up in a huge smile as he opened up his arms. Eric didn't hesitate to hug his best friend as he grinned. He and Matt had known each other since they were two years old and started school together. Matt used to live next door to Eric, and growing up next to each other they trusted each other more than anyone else.

Matt knew Eric's love of space, so he generally gave him spacey nicknames. Nova was the one that Eric liked the most, so Matt called him Nova most of the time. Eric's nickname for his bestfriend was Matty, since Matt used to have an obsession with Disney, The Lion King being his favorite. The voice of adult Simba was Matthew Broderick, two of Matt's favorite things about the movie. So Matty became Matt's nickname. When they were fourteen and about to enter high school, Matt's family moved out of Texas to Florida. Which left both of them in a hard place. They were best friends almost a thousand miles apart, and going through one of the toughest times in life. They hadn't seen each other in six years, and here Eric was scared thinking they'd never see each other ever again. "How did you get here?" Eric asked his best friend. "Your mom called mine and she invited me out here. You know my parents would never turn down an invitation in fear of being rude. So they bought me a plane ticket and sent me back to my hometown to see my best friend." Since Eric and Matt trusted each other more than anyone else, they knew each other's darkest secrets. They knew everything about each other, and some could say they knew each other better than they knew themselves. Which meant that Eric was the lone carrier of Matt's secret of his abusive family. So Matt being here without his family was like one of God's miracles.

So Eric took his best friend upstairs into his bedroom and introduced him to Shawn. He left to thank his mom with a hug before returning to his room. "So Matt, my boyfriend is flying in from New Zealand later this week with his family." Shawn loudly groaned and hit himself in the face with a pillow again. Eric rolled his eyes but Matt was open to the conversation. "Wow. How often do they fly in from New Zealand?" "A couple times a year. Two years ago I went down to New Zealand with them." Eric told his best friends a few stories before Shawn's phone started vibrating like crazy. "Ugh. Ripply, is it okay if I dip out? My girlfriend, Alison, wants me to meet her family." Shawn asked, Eric knowing all about Alison. "Go right ahead. There ain't nothing stopping you." "Alright bet. That closed door sure seems to be stopping me." Eric huffed and stood up before opening up the door for him. "There. Now nothing is stopping you." Shawn saluted before he walked out of the room. "I'll be back soon Chief Ripples!" Eric rolled his eyes and told Shawn to leave. "I've never been so insulted in my life!" Shawn replied just as sarcastic. He left and Eric stepped into the hallway. He checked to make sure none of his family was around before stepping back into his room and shutting the door behind him. "Did your family force you to move with them?" Eric whispered.

Matt nodded and Eric noticed the way his fingers tightened around the pillow he was holding. "Is everything going okay with them?" "So far yes. Something about the holidays makes them seem more hap-" Matt was cut off as Brian called out that dinner was ready. Eric wanted to talk to Matt more about it, but he never got a chance. At dinner, Matt dropped a huge bombshell on the family; he and his family were moving back to Texas. Right down the block from Eric's house. Matt was also transferring his college to the same one Eric was studying at. "Christmas came early!" Eric rejoiced as he hugged his best friend. After dinner Eric's family went to a Christmas festival that was hosted out of a parked train and around the vacant parking lot right by the tracks. "Dude! This is so cool!" Matt said as he followed Eric through the crowd. "I know right!" Eric's family split in seperate directions to go ahead and have their own fun. Eric took Matt to each and every one of the activities there, even if he didn't enjoy it himself. Matt had never experienced anything like this, and Eric intended to make his best friend enjoy himself.

As the two laughed the night away, they failed to notice Toby's eyes following them the entire time. Since Matt and Eric were so close and comfortable with each other, Toby was beginning to picture the wrong idea. Toby sent a few clips of them to Cam to let him know that Eric seemed to be cozying up to another guy. Cam seemed tense in his phone call with Toby later and asked Toby what happened. Toby explained everything from his perspective and he knew his best friend had doubts. "I don't belive Eric would ever do something like this. The proof is there, but he did tell me that his roomate was staying with him over Christmas." "You're right." Toby said and the conversation was done. When the festival was winding down, Eric's family reunited and began the drive home. Matt was having trouble keeping his eyes open, and he was yawning every other minute. Brian parked the car in their garage and everyone streamed out of the car. Eric led his best friend inside and pushed him over to his bed. "Where are you going to sleep?" Matt asked as he rubbed at his eyes and yawned again. "On the floor. God only knows the last time you had proper sleep in a proper bed." "I don't care what my situation is, but you are not sleeping on the floor Nova." Matt insisted. "Yes, I am." "I won't go to sleep unless you sleep up here with me."

It took a bit of negotiation before Matt was able to convince Eric to sleep on the bed with him. "I'm only doing this because you're my best friend." Matt laughed and cuddled his best friend. "Matty, don't squeeze me so hard. I won't be able to breathe in the morning." Eric teased. "Be quiet shorty. I know you love cuddling, whether it be me or your boyfriend. We're only cuddling because you're needy." "Me? You're the one that started cuddling me!" Eric protested. "Still. It helps both of us. And it's very platonic." "Of course it is. But if you start coming on to me we're going to have a little issue." Eric said as he poked Matt in the shoulder. Matt rolled his eyes and sighed. "I've missed being your neighbour." "I've missed my best friend." "Aww, you do love me." Matt gushed and Eric hit him in the face with a pillow. "We're acting just like a married couple." "People that aren't gay get called gay more often than people who are." Matt said and Eric snorted. "Did you just come up with that?" "Maybe. I'm not wrong. In most cases people who act gay for each other, aren't actually gay for each other." "Okay Einstein." Everytime the two were alone, they would cuddle just like old times. It wasn't romantic, but rather done for the comfort they both found in it. "Nova, we're wearing these." Matt said on Christmas Eve. Eric looked up from the couch to see matching adult reindeer onesies. "No. Absolutely not. I refuse." And that's how Eric ended up wearing a matching reindeer onesie with his best friend.

On Christmas Day, Eric's family woke up and started breakfast. Eric and Matt didn't wake up yet, as they were still asleep and cuddling in the silent warmth. Janice went to wake them up when their huge breakfast feast was done and ready to eat. She opened the door and her heart just about melted at the sight of her son and his best friend. She remembered finding them in the same position when they were about six or seven and it warmed her heart to see them relaxing in peace. She took a picture to embarrass them later before waking them up. When they came down the stairs, Eric's whole family noticed their matching pajamas and poked fun at them. "Matt made me do it!" Eric protested as they sat down to eat. After breakfast it was time to exchange gifts. Everyone got something they wanted, including Matt who wasn't expecting to get anything. "Now, how could we forget our Matt?" Janice teased when Matt voiced his thoughts out loud. "We wouldn't overlook you dummy." Eric said as he gave Matt a little shove. Matt grinned and thanked them for his presents. "So, what are everyone's plans until the afternoon?" Brian asked. Everyone said they were going to go in the basement and chill until their extended family got there.

Once Christmas Day had died down, Eric flopped down on the couch in the living room with a plate of assorted Christmas cookies. Matt sat down next to him, Liam on his other side, Monica, Adam, and Sarah sitting on the floor in the front of the couch. Eric's parents occupied the loveseat and the classic Christmas movies started playing. Whenever someone would get tired, they'd hug everyone in the room and head off to sleep. Eventually Matt and Eric were the only two left awake and Eric was trying to fight sleep. Eric tucked himself into Matt's side and tried his best not to yawn. Matt noticed this and he grinned as his fingers started playing with Eric's hair. "Stop, I'm trying not to fall asleep." Eric complained as he blinked his eyes open. "Just fall asleep. You let me fall asleep on you too many times as a kid. Let me return the favor. I can tell you're stressed about something. Want to tell me about it?" Matt asked softly. "I'm worried that when I see Cam again, our relationship won't be the same. We haven't each other in two years Matty. What if we don't love each other anymore?" "Cosmo, listen to me closely and answer these questions honestly. Do you miss him more than anything? Do you miss him even after you just saw him? Do you prefer his company over your own family's?" Eric's face turned crimson with guilt. "You still love him. Don't be guilty about that."

Eric smiled at his best friend and yawned again. "If you keep playing with my hair I'm going to actually fall asleep." "Good. That was the point." Eric rolled his eyes and almost five minutes later, he was asleep. Two mornings later, Eric was having to say goodbye to his best friend again. "Why do you have to leave?" Eric whined as his best friend was packing his stuff up. "Do you mind if I leave the things you guys gave me for Christmas here? I'd rather not bring them home, because..." "Of course. You're coming back in summer anyway." "Thank you. I'm sorry I have to leave." "Don't be sorry. I wouldn't want you to risk anything staying here any longer. I'm taking you to the airport later, so you aren't getting rid of me just yet." Matt zipped his suitcase shut and noticed his best friend near tears. Matt gave him a sad smile and wrapped his arms around the shorter. "Be strong Nova. I'm not leaving forever. I'll get to meet your boyfriend and Toby and we'll play some games before I have to leave." Eric nodded and he hugged his best friend like it was the last time he'd ever see him. Later that morning, Cam and his family pulled into his driveway. Matt and Eric had been awake since four in the morning, and the wait was killing Eric. When the American heard a low car rumble pulling up to the house, Eric sprang up and ran to the door. He pulled it open and immediatly ran for his giant of a boyfriend.

Marina and Morgan saw him coming and told Cam to let go of his suitcase and turn around. Cam did as told and turned around. He saw Eric running towards him and he opened up his arms just as Eric tucked himself into the taller. Cam smiled and wrapped his boyfriend up in a warm embrace. "I take it you missed me?" "Always. I've been up since four to wait." "No one else is awake." Cam said to no one in particular when Eric led them inside. Eric shook his head and shut the door after their guests. "Matt's the only one awake. My family probably won't be awake for a few hours at least. Unless my roomate comes back and starts yelling because he's rowdy." Eric said. "I'm so excited for you to meet Matt!" Eric told his boyfriend. Cam nodded and soon all of his stuff and his family's stuff was taken and put away in their designated bedrooms. Cam's family decided to go out for breakfast, which Cam decided to stay behind to be with his boyfriend. Cam sank onto the couch and groaned in satisfaction as his muscles finally relaxed. "Long flight Kiwi?" Eric asked as he came over to the couch with a blanket long enough to cover both of them. "Fourteen hours isn't so bad. If you're four feet tall." Cam teased the shorter. "Watch it. I can tell my mom to poison the pie you eat." Cam grinned and pulled the blanket over them.

Eric turned Netflix on and curled into his boyfriend. "So, both Matt and Shawn are staying here?" Cam asked. "Matt only staying for a week. He's going back home tonight." "What about Shawn?" "He left earlier to meet his girlfriend's family. He said he'd be back soon, but knowing him that could be anytime during the day or night." Cam nodded and he felt his boyfriend curl into him more. "Two years apart was too long." Cam said absentmindly, which made Eric's head snap up in alarm. "Hey, calm down." Cam said softly. "I didn't mean it like that." Cam said as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. He tangled a hand in Eric's dark hair as an attempt to resassure him. "I was trying to say that two years apart was too long of a wait to see each other again. Facetiming just isn't the same." Cam whispered against his boyfriend's hair. Eric's arms tangled around him, "I missed you." Cam pressed a kiss to Eric's forehead, "I missed you too." As some random Christmas movie played on the tv, the two just cuddled in the warmth of their blanket and each other. About an hour later, Eric's parents came downstairs to start breakfast. Cam nudged Eric up into a sitting position and paused the Christmas movie they had been watching. Eric pulled the blanket off of them and standing to fold it. "Well if it isn't the giant of my son-in-law." Janice cheered. "Mom!" Eric protested as she gave Cam a hug.

"Well he sure acts like my son-in-law." Eric's face had turned red and Cam threw an arm around his shoulders. "I'm not wrong. That title will someday apply to him." Eric groaned and hid his face in Cam's chest. Cam just laughed and squeezed his boyfriend in a hug. "Where is the rest of your family?" Brian asked Cam. "They went out for breakfast. They should be back anytime soon." Cam replied and offered to help make breakfast. "Thanks for the offer, but you're the guest. You and your family flew fourteen hours to be here, so you just sit down at the table and relax. Just be there with Eric. You two have been apart for a long time." Eric and Cam did as told and sat for less than ten minutes before plates of food were set down in front of them. The smell of bacon woke the other adults in the house and Matt was introduced to Cam. Within the course of a day, Cam and Matt had become friends and agreed to play games together to try and build up their gaming group. Matt also met Toby and soon the four of them had a gaming group formed. After dinner Cam was looking for his boyfriend all over the house. He and Matt had disappeared and Cam finally decided to try Eric's room. When he got to the landing of the stairs he began to pick up on their conversation. "I'm sorry you have to leave." Eric said and Matt shook his head. "Don't be sorry Nova. It isn't your fault." Matt said as he was organizing a little pile in Eric's closet to keep his things in.

"I know, but I don't want you to leave. You just got away and now you have to go back." Eric's voice hitched like he was going to cry. Matt turned his head and noticed the tears welling in his best friend's eyes. "Hey, don't cry Nova. I'll be okay, I promise." Matt said as he rose to a standing position. He gathered the smaller in an embrace and held him tightly. "Y-You always s-say that Matty, and you're n-never fine. This time I can't be there to h-help you." Matt sighed and rested his chin on Eric's head. "I know. But I've gotten used to it. I've learned to be tough. Maybe someday I'll escape." "I-I'll be right t-there with you." Eric promised and Matt smiled. "I sure hope so. Let me finish sorting my things and I'll be ready to go." Eric nodded and he wiped at his eyes. "I'll be d-downstairs." Matt nodded and hugged his best friend before the smaller left the room. "Are you okay Nidge?" Cam asked his boyfriend. "I will be. I just got to see my best friend after six years and now he has to leave again." "He's moving back though, right?" Eric nodded and he tucked himself into his boyfriend's chest. Cam pressed a kiss to his forehead, "Would you like for me to come with you to the airport so you're not alone?" Cam asked. Eric nodded and thanked his boyfriend. "I'm going to go start my car." 

Half an hour later, Eric was going through security with his best friend. "Promise me you'll call me at least once a week?" Eric asked and Matt nodded in promise. "I'd call you everyday if I could. I'll be moved in by the first week of summer, and then you'll never get rid of me." "I couldn't ask for a better neighbour." They grinned and gave each other a hug that lasted for almost a minute. "Try to be okay Matty. If you ever need help, you better call me and I'll drop everything to come help you." "Of course Nova." Matt boarded his plane and Eric tried not to run back to his car. "Are you okay?" Cam asked as he tangled their free hands together. He let his thumb brush over his boyfriend's knuckles and Eric shrugged. "I guess. I'm going to miss him even more than before. You remember the stories I told you. We grew up together. He's like my twin brother, and it kills me that we can't always be together anymore." "He'll be back Nidge, I know that for a fact." Later that week, Cam was introduced to Shawn and the rest of Eric's friend/study group. Cam didn't mind meeting any of them and he thought they all were great, except for Alison. Something seemed off about her, but Cam couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was.

Eric had seemed uncomfortable with his friend group knowing he was bisexual, so Cam agreed to tell everyone they were best friends. He knew exactly where Eric was coming from, because he was nervous himself to introduce his friends to his boyfriend. It just seemed awkward to do that to your heterosexual friends. When Cam and his family had to go back to New Zealand, Eric's relationship with Cam was going smoothly. They still loved each other and weren't afraid to admit it. But something changed with the New Year. Everytime Cam and Eric were in a phone call, Cam couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Things were changing with the way Eric talked to the way he answered the phone. Eric never talked in his normal voice anymore. It was either in a loud voice or in a whisper. Whenever Cam called him, Eric would never answer with a facecall, it was always just audio. The main thing Cam realized, was there was a girl's voice in every single phone call. Cam asked Eric is he was okay and the answer was always yes. The few times Eric did pick up on face call, Cam noticed he was never in his dorm room. Shawn was never around in calls anymore, and Eric seemed more closed off. He hardly talked about himself anymore, instead asking about Cam and how things were in New Zealand.

After a few months of this behavior, Cam didn't know what to think. Eric wasn't one to cheat, but most of the signs were there. Summer was coming up and Toby had decided to surprise Eric in his dorm room. Toby had flown into the U.S. to see some friends and stopped in at Eric's college to surprise him. When he got there however, he found a girl sleeping in Eric's bed, all her clothes on the floor. Neither Shawn or Eric was around, but Toby knew it was Eric's bed, as the wall next to the bed was covered in gaming posters as well as a Dallas Cowboys flag. The other side of the room was covered in MLB posters. Toby left and as soon as he got back into his car, he called his best friend. "This time I think it's serious. Unless you can explain this one to me." Toby said as soon as Cam answered. "What do you mean?" Toby explained what he had found and judging from Cam's silence, he didn't know either. Cam told him everything going on and Toby sighed. "It's almost straight out of a movie. I don't want to believe it, but all the signs are pointing to yes." Cam sighed and hung up. He pretended nothing was wrong, but every phone call leading up to his summer visit seemed to make his heart hurt more and more. Until finally he felt broken. He heard things in the background of their phone calls and Eric seemed to always brush it off and change the subject.

The day that Cam flew over to the United States, he knew two possible things could happen; Eric could be cheating and their relationship was over or he wasn't cheating and he was going to explain how he wasn't. Eric was currently sitting in his kitchen with Shawn and Alison. His family had all gone on a trip for a week to go visit some family in Northern Texas. All four of his older siblings had gone with their parents, leaving Eric home alone. "Uno!" Eric called out for the millionth time that day. Alison and Shawn groaned again and threw their cards at him. "Hey! I didn't make the rules of the game!" "You rigged it somehow using your holy shortness!" Shawn called out as he threw a plus four down to start the next round. "Don't bring my holy shortness into this! I win because of my-" Eric was cut off by the doorbell ringing. Eric stood to answer it and Alison said, "Look at his cards!" "Hey! No! This is a hate crime against short people!" Eric cried out. His friends laughed and he went to answer the door. Eric pulled it open to meet eyes with his boyfriend. Cam took one look at his boyfriend's shocked face and it seemed to make him break once again. "Cam? What are you doing here?" Eric asked as he stepped aside to let him in.

Cam opened his mouth to speak, but no sound came out. Eric noticed the silence and looked up at his boyfriend to see his red eyes. "You've been crying. Did something happen? Are you hurt? Is your family hurt?" Eric frantically asked as he held onto Cam's hands. Cam jerked his hands away and Eric felt like he'd been slapped. "I just came here to talk." Eric nodded and tried to hide his worry. "Have a seat on the couch. I'll be just a minute." Cam did as told and watched his boyfriend disappear around the corner. "What's with you? You look like you've just seen a ghost." Shawn said as Eric came back into the kitchen. "I know we planned to spend the entire day together, but I don't think that is what is going to happen. I'm sorry for this, but I'm going to have to ask you two to leave. My best friend from New Zealand just showed up and he wants to talk." Shawn read the panic in Eric's eyes and he clapped him on the shoulder. "Don't worry about it Ripply. Just call us when you aren't busy. We've got all summer." "Thanks. I promise we'll hang out soon." Shawn and Alison cleaned up the Uno cards and handed them to Eric. "Thank you." "See you soon Ripply." Shawn and Alison left and as soon as the front door swung close Eric came back into the living room. He felt Cam's eyes on him as he walked over to the tv stand and put the Uno cards away. Eric turned around to meet his boyfriend's unreadable expression.

"So. You flew fourteen hours to get here to talk. This must be really important." "It is. I need you to be completly honest. And remember, if you lie I know that you aren't being truthful." Eric nodded. "Alright. Are you cheating on me?" Cam watched his boyfriend's eyebrows knit together. Eric's eyes fluttered in confusion before he looked at Cam. "Cheating? What do you mean by that?" "Cheating. As in having an affair with someone while dating me." "No, of course not. I would never do anything like that." Eric said. "Are you sure?" Cam started rambling on about all the signs that pointed to him cheating and Eric's face dropped. He walked over to his boyfriend and cupped his face in his hands. There was a tear running down Cam's face and Eric brushed it away with his thumb. Cam started to ramble again and Eric needed him to stop freaking out. So he kissed him. Cam stopped rambling and seconds later started kissing his boyfriend back. "Listen, I love you. I don't love anyone else the same way that I love you. Toby found Alison in my bed, because she and Shawn are rowdy. They refuse to use either of their beds, so they use mine. I've learned to sleep in Shawn's bed instead of mine. I've even switched our sheets. I never pick up with face call anymore because Shawn and Alison are almost constantly doing something. It's almost embarrassing to pick up the phone when you call me. I have no where else to answer it. So I pick up on just audio call so you won't have to see them."

"Then how do you explain the way you refused to talk about yourself? You never answered the questions I asked you and instead asked your own." Cam had begun to hiccup and Eric gave him a sad smile. "I was afraid that I was losing you. Two years was such a long gap to see each other. I shouldn't have done that to you, but I was so worried our relationship would fall through the cracks. I'm sorry I put you through all this." Eric said and Cam pulled him down for another kiss. "I love you." Eric whispered and Cam grinned. "I love you too." "Come on. Let's go upstairs and cuddle. You flew fourteen hours to get here and I'm going to take advantage of that." Cam grinned but let his boyfriend pull him to a standing position. "Well, I'm here for a week. Cuddling is obviously first on the list." Eric grinned and hugged his boyfriend before bounding up the stairs. He waited for Cam on the landing before the two entered Eric's room. "Just as I remember." Cam said as he kicked his shoes off. Eric pulled Cam onto the bed and cuddled up to him. Dusk had already fallen over the town, making Eric drowsy. Cam noticed his boyfriend had fallen asleep on him, and he grinned. He took out his phone and stared at the text messages with Eric's parents.

There was another reason why Cam had come to the United States. He was going to propose to his boyfriend. He had come after knowing Eric's parents had given their consent. They were extremely happy and they both knew that Eric would say yes. Cam knew exactly where he was going to propose too. The first place they had met was Garden Cafe close to Eric's house. That's where Eric's dog had gotten loose and made the two become friends in the first place. "Thank god for Buddy." Cam whispered. A few days later, Cam was getting ready on a Monday night to take Eric to dinner at the Garden Cafe and then propose to him. They headed to the restaurant and Eric was surprised to see the place they were eating at. "I haven't been here for years!" Eric said as he squeezed his boyfriend's hand. Cam grinned and led the two inside. After dinner the two of them were making small talk when Eric noticed Cam wasn't by his side anymore. Eric turned and saw Cam down on one knee by the outdoor waterfountain. Eric's breath caught in his throat and he felt like he was going to cry. "Eric Vivian Matthews, I've loved you for years. Everything about you is perfect, even the things you think are terrible. Will you make me the happiest man alive and say you'll marry me?" Cam asked. Eric's smile was the biggest that Cam had ever seen. "Yes, of course." Cam slid the ring onto Eric's left hand before he squeezed Cam in the tightest hug. Cam just smiled and kissed his boyfriend's forehead.

When they finally let each other go, they went back to Eric's house. As soon as they got inside, Eric attacked him with a kiss. "Is this why you came here without telling me?" Eric asked and Cam nodded. "Well, thank you for not telling me." "Anything for you." Cam went upstairs to get changed out of his semi-dress clothes while Eric stayed on the couch. While Cam was in the bathroom, he could hear the doorbell echo across the house. Eric answered it and Cam heard someone loudly sigh in relief. "Eric! You've got to help me!" Alison cried out as she threw herself at the shorter in a desperate hug. "Why? What happened? You didn't break things off with Shawn, did you?" "No, but I'm afraid this will." Alison said quietly as she sat down on the couch. "Is this what you were so worried about earlier?" Eric asked. She frantically nodded and Eric could see the panic behind her eyes. "What happened? You're starting to freak me out Alison." Eric said. Cam was now standing on the landing, not wanting to intrude on their conversation but wanting to stay close to his now fiance. "I'm pregnant with Shawn's baby." Alison said quietly. Eric's eyes blinked rapidly in shock. "You're what?" "I'm pregnant with Shawn's baby." Alison said, tears threatening to spill over. "I'm so worried that he'll be angry and then he'll leave me." "Shawn isn't the kind of guy to do that to you. Was it an accident?" Eric asked.

"The pills must not have worked. We took all the precautionary measures but that didn't prevent this from happening!" Alison cried out. "Calm down, I'm sure if you just explain this to Shawn he'll understand." "As long as you're sure. Is it okay if he comes over here and talks with us?" "Why us? I'm not involved in this." Eric asked in confusion. "But you could take Shawn's place if he does leave me." "Woah, woah, woah. Hold up Alison." Eric said as he heard Cam enter the room. "I will certainly not take Shawn's place as the father of this baby." "And why not?" Alison asked. "You're single and you obviously care about me." Eric stared at her and shook his head. "I do not care about you in a romantic way." Alison stood up from the couch and stood right in front of Eric. "And why not?" "Because you're dating my best friend for pete's sake!" "But you have to step into Shawn's place." "I most certaintly do not have to do anything in this situation. I didn't tell you and Shawn to do anything that could cause a baby. You two decided that for yourselves and it's not my responsibility to be this child's father." Eric said crossing his arms. Alison stared at him and she noticed his ring finger bore a ring. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "You're engaged?"

Eric nodded and he felt Cam's presence behind him. "You haven't been single this whole time, have you?" Eric shook his head and the front door swung open to reveal Shawn. "What's going on?" Shawn asked to no one in particular. "Eric is engaged!" Eric rolled his eyes and he met eyes with his best friend. "Really?" Shawn asked. Eric nodded and Shawn laughed, "About time! You never shut up about him, I'm surprised it took you this long." Shawn said as he clapped Eric on the back. "You knew?" Alison asked her boyfriend and Shawn nodded. "Ripply never shuts up about Cam I swear. I remember a time where I had to sit and listen to him ramble on and on about the guy." Cam smiled at his short boyfriend and watched as Eric's face turned red. "Shawn you swore you'd never tell anyone!" Eric said with a grin. "Well congradulations you two. I better be invited to the wedding. Also, why did Alison call me here?" "She has something she'd like to tell you." Eric said. "Something she'd like to tell you outside of my house." Once Alison and Shawn had left Cam turned to Eric with a serious look on his face. "Let's run away." Eric looked at his fiance with a look of disbelief on his face. "You're joking." Cam didn't say anything for a few minutes before he snorted. "Of course I'm joking. Our parents would kill us for running away to get married without them." Eric smacked Cam's arm, "You brat. I thought you were serious!" 


	6. Trouble in Paradise

A year after Cam and Eric's marriage, two major things happened; the Misfits became a group and the couple decided they wanted a child of their own. Eric's older sister, Monica, opted to be their surrogate and ten months later, a beautiful baby girl was born. Cam and Eric had named her Aaliyah Jade McKay, and her godparents were Cam's sister, Marina, and Matt. When Aaliyah was only a few months old, she had all the Misfits wrapped around her finger. Her parents thought she was perfect. Matt, Jay, Mason, Toby, and Sam wanted to spend time with her every chance they got. And of course Ryan babied her extra by cradling her close to him and cooing at her whenever the other adults weren't looking. This little girl brought all eight of them closer than before. When she was a little older, Cam and Eric began to run into problems. One night Cam and Eric's fight made it to one and half year old Aaliyah's ears. Cam was upset with Eric because he didn't approve of Eric's drug usage, sparking the fight to ignite. "It never mattered to you before!" "That was before we had a child to take care of! Aaliyah's health could be affected because of us using drugs or smoking and letting the second hand smoke float around in the air. That's why I stopped doing it! If I affected my daughter's health from my smoking I could never forgive myself. I think you should give it up too, to protect our daughter!" Cam argued. "I don't want to give it up! It's not even affecting her Cam!"

"You can't be sure of that! She already has second hand smoke in her lungs!" "So I won't do it around her then!" "That's not the point! We're her parents and she deserves stable parents that aren't constantly getting high on weed!" "I love Aaliyah just as much as you do, but I can't just give it up that easily!" "I'm afraid you're going to have to, or else." Cam threatened. "Or else what?" "I'll take Aaliyah back to New Zealand with me until you can stop using drugs!" Aaliyah didn't like her parents fighting and she wanted it to stop. The infant grabbed the wall to pull herself up and toddled towards the door. She slowly made her way down the stairs and left the house. She knew which way to get to Misfits Manor as she had been there so many times. So she slowly toddled next door before crawling up the stairs in front of the door. Aaliyah started hitting on the door so someone would let her in. Toby and Ryan had been downstairs and heard the pounding from the door. They were both really surprised to find Aaliyah standing at the door without her parents. Ryan let her in and Toby scooped her up before she could fall over or hurt herself. "What are you doing here by yourself Pipsqueak?" Toby asked her. "Daddy and Dad are fighting." Aaliyah casually answered. "Again?" Jay asked as he emerged from the kitchen. "What happened this time?" Aaliyah noticed Jay and made grabby hands at him. She was passed off to Jay and she immediatly started playing with his hair. His hair was the longest out of the eight adults and she loved playing with it.

"Daddy said we go to new zeand." Aaliyah told them as Jay held her securely on his shoulders. Mason had also joined in on the conversation, Aaliyah pausing to wave at him. "Cam wants you three to go to New Zealand?" Toby asked and she shook her head. She held up two fingers and Mason took a stab at it. "Cam wants to take you to New Zealand?" Aaliyah nodded and all the adults sighed. "Were your parents fighting about bad things?" Ryan asked and Aaliyah nodded. "Weeds?" She said cocking her head to one side."Was Cam angry with your dad for smoking?" Aaliyah nodded and Jay gently placed her on the ground. She took off for the stairs and they heard Matt's door open and close. Matt was recording when he heard his bedroom door open. He looked over to see Aaliyah come in and shut the door behind her. He smiled and turned his chair so she could see him. She ran over to him and Matt pulled her up onto his lap. "What are you doing here sweetheart?" "Fighting again." Was all she said before curling up into Matt's chest. Matt's door opened again to reveal Jay. "What's up?" Matt asked as he turned his chair again. "Cam wants to take her to New Zealand until Eric stops using drugs." "He wants to do WHAT?" Matt shouted in surprise. "You heard me. Neither one of them has noticed that she's gone yet." Matt sighed and rubbed his temples.

About a half hour later, a knock sounded from the door. Matt grumbled to himself before he called for them to come in. "Oh thank God." Cam sighed in relief upon seeing his daughter. "Aaliyah you gave me such a scare, I thought you were kidnapped." Cam came closer to retrieve his daughter before Matt stopped him. "You can't take her to New Zealand Cam. I won't let you." "It's only temporary Matt." "I don't care Cam! You can't take her to New Zealand!" "And why not?" Cam asked."I can't let you take her away from Eric. She needs both of her parents. Not her grandparents and one parent. She needs to have both of you." Matt said, firmly standing his ground. "Matt, I can't do this right now." Cam's voice broke on the last word and Aaliyah made grabby hands at her dad. Cam held his daughter to him and told her he was sorry. She just giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "How about this Cam," Matt suggested, "We can take care of Aaliyah while you and Eric take a vacation for two weeks. That way when you come back, you two can be able to be parents that don't fight. I already cleared it with the guys and they're happy to do it." Cam thought about it while running a hand through his daughter's dark brown hair. "That sounds like a good idea."

The plan was hashed out and the four adults promised Cam and Eric they'd take care of Aaliyah for the two weeks together. "Sweetheart, Dad and I are going away for a few weeks." Cam told his daughter as he gave her dinner. She looked up at him in confusion. "We're going on a trip away from here. You get to stay here with Matt and Mason and Ryan and Sam and Toby and Jay." Cam further explained. Aaliyah nodded and finished her dinner. She scampered over to the trash to throw away her paper plate before running back to Cam. She made grabby hands at him and he picked her up. She settled into his warmth as she wrapped an arm around his neck and tucked her other arm underneath her head that rested on Cam's shoulder. She fell asleep nestled in Cam's embrace while he sat on the couch with his friends. "When are you and Eric leaving then?" Jay asked. "Tomorrow morning. He's staying at our house and packing for both of us while I stay here." "I'm assuming Matt has all of Aaliyah's things?" Toby asked and Cam nodded. When his friends went to bed, Cam stayed on the couch and rested Aaliyah on his chest before pulling a blanket over both of them. Aaliyah cuddled into her dad while his arms wrapped around her to keep her from slipping off the couch. In the morning, Instagram was spammed with pictures and videos of the two cuddling. "Toby!" Cam protested at the spam of him. "Yes?" "What's with all the spam?" "You're so cute when you sleep!" Toby sarcastically replied.

"Daddy?" Aaliyah asked softly as she woke up. "Yes sweetheart?" "Where's Dad?" She asked while rubbing her eyes with one hand. "He's at home." "Why?" She asked, her baby blue eyes shining up at him. "He's...busy right now sweetheart." Cam said, pressing a kiss to her head. Cam got Aaliyah dressed for the day before she sat on the floor of Toby's room and played with some blocks while Toby streamed with Mason, Jay, and Eric. Cam sat on the floor with her and sometimes helped rebuild her tower when it fell. Since they were visible on the stream several people watching were freaking out from Cam being a dad in front of a camera. Aaliyah's tower fell over again and she huffed as she threw a block on the floor. Cam grinned as he helped her build her tower over again, this time making the base bigger to support it. "Cam's dad vibe is making me sick." Toby told the camera after watching the two interact. "Be quiet Toby." Cam said, making Toby laugh. "After all those videos of joking about Cam being the dad of our friend group, who knew he'd actually be a dad." Cam grinned and told Toby to shut up as he turned his face away. "Daddy," Aaliyah said tugging on Cam's hoodie sleeve. He turned to look at her, "I'm hungry." "Are you ready for breakfast?" Aaliyah nodded and Cam stood up before scooping her up into his arms. She waved goodbye to Toby, who blew her a kiss. She giggled and Cam left the room to go downstairs. Cam gave her breakfast before he was getting ready to leave with Eric for the airport.

The two of them had decided to fly to Italy and spend two weeks there to work everything out and relax with each other. Cam had gotten Aaliyah distracted by putting her in Mason's room, as he was a big child himself. Cam was able to then leave the house before coming back with Eric to say goodbye. "You are aware of what is going to happen, right?" Ryan asked Matt. Matt shook his head and Ryan told him she was going to cry because her parents were leaving."She isn't going to be happy with this, so we have to keep her distracted until she forgets they're gone." Matt nodded and he collected Aaliyah and Mason from the man's bedroom when Cam and Eric entered the house. Aaliyah saw both of her parents and shrieked in joy. She dropped Mason's hand and ran towards Eric. Eric grinned and picked his daughter up as she clung onto him. "Sweetheart, we're leaving for Italy." Cam explained. She didn't seem to understand what was happening until her parents kissed her forehead and started to leave. A whine immediatly released from her throat and she tried to go with them before arms swept her off the floor. She started to cry as she watched her parents leave and she kicked against Matt's grip to get down. Once Cam and Eric's car pulled away from the curb Matt set her down just for him and Mason to take her back to his room to distract her. That night she fell asleep in Mason's embrace as the Misfits watched a movie. Once Mason had laid her down and tucked her in, the rest of the Misfits sleepily parted ways to sleep.

The morning was still a little rough on Aaliyah, as she had never been away from her parents for a long time. "Good morning Leah." Matt said as she was standing up in her portable crib. She wanted to be held and Matt sensed it as he reached down and scooped her up. "Daddy?" She sleepily asked. "He went on a trip with your dad." Matt reminded her. She nodded and reached for her teddy bear in her crib. Matt retrieved it for her before asking if she was hungry. Aaliyah nodded and the two went downstairs and joined the other residents of Misfits Manor. "Good morning Matt, Aaliyah." Everyone greeted. The two greeted them back and the five of them ate breakfast together. Toby was in charge of getting Aaliyah ready for the day and she would've ended up in something pink and frilly if Mason hadn't stepped in. "Naw Mate. I know that you and Cam like her in that stuff because it makes her look like a princess, but don't dress her in it. None of us really like it and neither does she. She's always pulling at it." Toby sighed in defeat before nodding. Aaliyah ended up in an outfit that was black leggings and a white t-shirt that had a xbox controller on it. She giggled as Toby put her hair up in two tiny curly ponytails and carried her down to the living room where everyone was watching tv. Toby set her down on the floor and he suddenly got a crazy idea. "Hey, what if we film a video for the channel about taking care of a baby for two weeks?" All of his friends quickly nodded. 

They quickly sent Cam and Eric texts asking permission, which they both agreed as long as they kept her safe and let them see the video before uploading it. "RYAN!" All four Misfits called out for their manager, who quickly appeared in the doorway along with Sam. "What is it this time?" He asked as he quickly eyed the four adults. "We came up with a video idea about taking care of a baby for two weeks." Jay said as Aaliyah was crawling towards Mason-who was sitting on the floor-before settling into his lap with a book. Mason gently wrapped his arms around her as she began reading the book as best as she could to him. "I'm assuming Eric and Cam have given their permission?" Sam asked and Matt nodded. "Now we just need to take care of her for two weeks." "It shouldn't be that hard. All we have to do is normal things while taking care of the little peanut." Mason said as he tickled Aaliyah's sides. She started giggling and curled into a ball to try and get away from it. Mason stopped once he saw that she was wheezing from laughing so hard. "How about we plan some things to do for the next few days and then film them?" Jay suggested and everyone nodded. They had everything planned out by lunchtime and started filming without alerting Mason.

"You all read that title right! We're taking care of a baby for two weeks while her parents on a trip!" Toby chirped to the camera Sam was holding. "So, if you didn't know, Fitz and Swagger got married a few years ago, and then last year they were gifted with a child, who we all love." Jay commented as Matt was walking towards them. "Oh, also Matt is her godfather. She hasn't been seen on camera an awful lot, mainly because Swagger didn't want her to be and Cam would agree with him. But this time is different." Jay said as Matt started leading them towards the living room."Mason is in the living room with the baby and he has no idea that we started filming. Time to ambush." Toby said as they peeked into the living room. Mason was still sitting on the floor with Aaliyah, who was reading a book about bears to him. Mason read over her shoulder and tried to hide his grin, but he was failing miserably. Aaliyah paused from her book and turned her attention towards Mason's hands that were rested in front of her. She lunged forward and grabbed one of his hands and started tugging on it. "Macey!" Mason laughed and asked what she wanted. "Blocks." She said and Mason nodded before standing and scooping her up. As Mason was heading towards his room Aaliyah suddenly giggled and pointed at Toby. "Kitty!" 

Aaliyah had names she called all of them. Mason's was Macey, Jay's was Tweety(because he loved to sing, Matt's was Matty, Ryan's was Teddy(because he was like a big teddy bear), Sam's was Blondie(for obvious reasons), and Toby's was Kitty(because of his pink headphones). Mason stopped in his tracks and turned around to see his friends standing there with a camera. "We're filming!" They chorused together and Mason rolled his eyes before flipping them off. His four friends laughed and Aaliyah called out Toby's nickname again. Mason set her on the floor and she crawled over to Toby as Sam trained the camera on her. Toby picked the little girl up and Aaliyah grinned as she curled her arms around Toby's neck and hid her face. She recognized what the camera was, and she had watched what her dad had done everytime a camera was around. "Awww, she's camera shy just like her dad." Matt cooed as he poked her nose. Aaliyah giggled and she reached out for Matt. She was passed off to Matt who balanced the little girl on his hip. "Looks like our first task is lunch." He said as he poked her nose again, causing her to break out into giggles. Matt smiled at her and Toby hispered to the camera, "Matt's so much cuter with a baby." "I heard that Toby!" Matt called out, which they all laughed. Lunch was made and Aaliyah was seated in between Mason and Matt, who had given her some banana flavored puffs. When the rest finished eating, Matt stayed behind at the table with Aaliyah while the others went to explain what they planned on doing for the next two weeks.

When they came back downstairs Toby surprised Matt with the camera as he was wiping Aaliyah's face off. "How did you know to do that?" "I've watched Swagger do it a million times. It's also the thing I was taught in case I need to take care of her. Or Mason." Matt laughed as Mason glared at him, and Aaliyah extended her hands towards Matt. Matt didn't hesitate to pick her up and balance her on his hip again before heading into the living room with Toby. "Fellow Misfits! We're off to the park!" Toby shouted. They split up among cars, Matt driving his car with Mason, Jay, and Aaliyah, Toby and Sam riding with Ryan. When they got to the park, Sam was already rolling the camera. "What should we do first?" Jay asked into the camera as Mason stood right next to him. "Race you to the swings!" Mason yelled to Jay as they took off running. Matt rolled his eyes and turned towards Toby. "She really likes this one slide over here. Do you want to-" Matt was cut off by Toby running off towards Jay and Mason. Matt sighed before looking at his manager. Ryan just shrugged before he took the camera from Sam's hands. "I'll watch after the big kids. Sam, you can take a break from filming and do whatever you want." Sam nodded and he said he'd go with Matt. Matt's frown perked up a bit, as he felt he wasn't alone anymore. They walked over to the small kid area before setting Aaliyah down on the ground. Her small hands held onto Sam and Matt's hands as they started towards the slides. She shrieked in happiness before pulling Sam up onto the plastic equipment. Sam followed her and she stopped at her favorite slide, Matt already waiting at the bottom.

Sam listened to Matt's instructions before gently sending Aaliyah down the slide. She giggled as Matt caught her at the bottom. "Again!" The two adults spent almost a half hour with her on the slides before they took her to the swings. "It's been an awfully long time since we saw Ryan and the others." Sam commented as Matt set Aaliyah down in the swing. Matt nodded and he looked around the park. Sam had started pushing Aaliyah in the swing when Matt noticed the park was empty except for the three of them. "Sam," Matt said, turning to face his friend. Sam looked up and saw the disappointment written on the American's face. "They left." Sam gave him a look of disbelief until he realized it was true. He shook his head and saw how hard Matt was trying not to let his anger show. "Well, we're here for Aaliyah anyway, not for that stupid video." They continued pushing her on the swing and talking when Matt's phone rang. "Hey Aaliyah, guess who it is?" Matt asked her with a grin. "Dad!" She called out as soon as she saw Eric's face light up Matt's facetime. "Well hello to you too sweetheart." Eric said with a laugh. Matt held his phone close enough to Aaliyah so she could babble to her dad before Eric asked what they were up to. "Well, our friends had the genius idea to take care of her for two weeks for a video. It wasn't a bad idea, but leaving that responsiblity up to me isn't very cool." Matt said with a sigh. 

"Don worry. Be happy." Aaliyah told Matt as she picked up on his unhappiness. Matt smiled and ruffled her hair. "I thought you all were going to take care of her together." Eric said. "That's what I thought too. I guess we were wrong." "So you guys are at the park?" Eric asked as Matt stepped away to finish answering the phone call. "No. Just me and Sam are here with Aaliyah." "What about the others?" "They left." Matt said stiffly. "I'm sorry." Eric said and Matt asked him why he was sorry. "For sticking you with my responsiblity for two weeks. The whole reason this happened was because of my stupidity and not listening to Cam. He'll try and tell you different, but we both know that isn't true. I've been a jerk lately and you shouldn't have been stuck in the middle of it." "You have been a little bit of a jerk, but at least you're trying to make it better. And this isn't a burden on me. Your daughter is one of the greatest things in the world, and taking care of her makes me happy. Especially if it means you and Cam are going to work everything out. My parents fought so much and didn't accomplish anything. Except for giving me a rough childhood. I just want Aaliyah to grow up happy and safe." Eric nodded in agreement. "Thank you Matt." "You're my best friend. I wouldn't think twice about helping you out. That's what best friends are for." Matt said and Eric grinned. "As soon as we get back to Melbourne, I swear I'm going to give you the biggest hug you've ever had." Matt laughed and told Eric he better. Eric laughed and said he had to go, as Cam was waking up and they were going to breakfast. Matt said goodbye before going back to Sam and Aaliyah.

Aaliyah wanted to play on the equipment for longer, which Matt couldn't deny her. After about an hour Aaliyah was yawning, which meant it was nap time. Matt grinned as he buckled her into her car seat before getting into the driver's seat. Sam opened up the passenger side door before his phone chimed. "It's from Ryan. He says the others went out to get high and stay over at Cam and Eric's place." Matt sat up stiffly in his seat and nodded. "I'm sorry to leave you like this, but when we get back to the house I've got to leave to help fix the roof of my parent's house." Matt sighed and nodded as he started driving back home. "It's not your fault Sam. I'm just disappointed because the others made a promise to Eric and Cam to help take care of her for these two weeks. I'm not like Eric or Cam. I'm not an actual parent that can build a life around a kid. We were supposed to do this together." Matt said as he pulled into the driveway of Misfits Manor. He unbuckled Aaliyah before saying goodbye to Sam, and to Ryan who was going home to take care of a few things. Matt groaned as he realized Ryan had been right and all of his friends had left. Aaliyah was rubbing her eyes and yawning again. Matt rubbed soothingly at her back to help lull her to sleep as well as rocking a bit. By the time Matt got to his bedroom, the little girl was asleep. Matt smiled down at her before covering her up with a blanket and turning on the baby monitor. Matt grabbed a hoodie out of his closet before shutting the lights to his room off and shutting the door behind him.

Matt was able to do all of the paperwork for the house and make a list of things needed to be done in and out of the house before Aaliyah woke up. Aaliyah was energized once again after her nap and she wanted to play with her toys. Matt set up her playpen before setting her down in it. He waited until she was occupied before he started doing the work around the house. It wasn't until he was done cleaning the entire house when he realized they were out of groceries. Matt rested his forehead against the fridge in frustration, and Aaliyah knew something was up. "Matty?" She called out, concern written in her small voice. Matt turned towards her and saw how concerned she was for him. He went over to her and scooped her up. Her small arms curled around his neck and he held onto her comfortingly. "Everything's going to be fine sweetheart." Matt whispered. She nodded and Matt said they were going shopping. Her smile perked right up as she toddled over to put her shoes on by herself. She held her arms out and Matt picked her up, setting her on his hip again. Once they were at Target, Matt set her down in a shopping cart before moving to get groceries. Matt was humming to himself as he put the milk into the cart, smiling as Aaliyah made noises to imitate a cow. He ruffled her dark hair before moving on to the next aisle. They collected all of the groceries before moving on to the baby aisle. "What do you think Leah?" Matt asked as he held up a stuffed koala bear. Aaliyah giggled and Matt grinned as he tossed it into the basket of the cart. Matt had picked up some more baby food and juice for her and had begun to pass by the rest of the toys when Aaliyah called Matt's name to get his attention. 

As soon as he looked at her, she pointed at the box she was mesmerized with. Matt stopped walking and turned to see the galore of Australian animals plastered on the box. It was some sort of box set that came with smaller versions of Australian animals that served as necklaces. Also included in the set were squishy version of the animals. Matt picked up the box and held it up. "If I get this for you, will you promise to take care of the things in here?" Aaliyah nodded. "So, you won't destroy anything?" Aaliyah shook her head and Matt nodded. "Okay, but take care of them." He said, putting the box into the cart before heading towards the checkout. Matt bought everything and got it loaded into the car before driving back to Misfits Manor. He set Aaliyah down in her playpen and gave her the koala he just got for her. Aaliyah was occupied with it before Matt set two of ten squishies down in front of her. Aaliyah shrieked in happiness and quickly picked up the kangaroo and koala. "Leah, if you bite them, they'll break. They aren't like your other toys, so please take care of them." Aaliyah nodded before Matt returned to the kitchen. He put all the groceries away before making the two of them dinner. After dinner he picked up the rest of the box and set it in his closet, having plans on keeping most of it until she was older. Matt then turned on a Disney movie for them to watch, when Ryan came into the house. "Hello Matt, Aaliyah." Ryan greeted as he sat down next to Matt on the couch. "Hey Ryan." Matt said as he watched Aaliyah crawl over to him. "So...Disney." Ryan said. Matt nodded and lifted Aaliyah onto the couch to sit in between the two adults. 

"Leah likes this movie. And since none of my friends-who promised Leah's parents to take care of her-are here I thought a movie would be nice." Ryan sighed and nodded. "I'll talk to the boys tomorrow." "Thank you." Matt said. When the movie was over, Aaliyah was asleep curled up on Matt's chest, Matt soothingly tangling his hand in her hair to keep her asleep. Matt stood up and noticed Ryan's eyes following him as his arms encirled the baby. "Has anyone ever told you you're great with kids?" "Oh please. If she was my own kid, she would've been raised much different." Matt really hadn't told his friends much about his childhood. Eric was the only one who knew how he was raised, and respected the fact that he was afraid to fall in love and have a family in fear that he'd end up like his parents. Matt shook his head at Ryan before heading up the stairs to his room. He nudged the door open with his foot before carefully laying the infant down in her crib and covering her up. She hummed in content and curled her arms around her koala bear. Matt turned on the baby monitor on again before heading downstairs. Matt went to clean up everything from the living room before sitting back down on the couch next to Ryan. "What's it with you and kids?" Ryan asked him. Matt shrugged and flipped through Netflix before settling on a show he knew Ryan liked. It was silent until Ryan broke the silence again.

"You know, if you're embarrassed to tell me you're afraid of having kids you could just admit it. I'm not going to hate you." Matt shook his head before standing up again and yawning. "I don't want to talk about it. I'll see you in the morning." Matt turned on his heel and went upstairs to his room. He shut off the baby monitor before dropping onto his bed and falling asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

A week had passed by when Sam told Ryan what was happening with the video. "You mean to tell me there's no footage except for that first day?" "No one's been around except for Matt. The video is taking care of a baby for two weeks. Meaning all four of them. Matt's really upset because no one is there to help him and it seems to really be stressing him out." Sam said. Ryan sighed and he picked up his car keys. "Let's go find the boys." Once tracking the three Misfits down, they were brought back to Misfits Manor. Ryan unlocked the door to find Matt struggling to calm a hysterical Aaliyah down upstairs. He was rocking her back and forth and trying to his best to comfort her before he noticed the people standing there with him. His soft expression hardened and he angrily retreated into his room and slammed the door shut. Aaliyah's cries lifted within a few minutes and she was asleep. Matt sighed in relief as he laid her down in her crib. He took a few deep breathes to calm himself before stepping out of his room. "What are you guys going here?" Matt asked, his voice soft and hoarse. "We came to help." Matt was taken aback and he crossed his arms. "Where were you earlier this week? I've been taking care of her for a week by myself. I'm not Eric or Cam! I'm not used to taking care of a baby by myself!" "We know. We're sorry but we're here to help now." Matt sighed, "Could you guys promise me that you'll help take care of Aaliyah? Friday night I have a date and she needs to be taken care of." His friends promised and Matt thanked them.

Friday came and Matt was getting ready for his date. "How do I look Leah?" Matt asked as he stood in front of the mirror. She clapped her hands together and giggled, signaling she approved. An hour later Matt said goodbye to his friends and Aaliyah. He met his date, a woman named Natalie, who he met at a Target when she had run her cart into his by accident. They were going to a restaurant that was located twenty minutes from Misfits Manor, and Matt was feeling pretty confident about his date when they met up. They walked into the restaurant and were waiting in line to be seated. "So, what's something interesting going on in your life right now?" Natalie asked. She noticed that Matt flinched before answering. "I've been taking care of a baby." He quickly changed the subject and asked about her job, as she was a pediatrician in the middle of Melbourne. She was quick to answer him as she was very passionate about her job. They were the fourth group in line to get seated when all of a sudden Toby was standing next to Matt. "Toby, what are you doing here?" Matt asked. Then he noticed he had Aaliyah with him. "No. Toby, you guys promised. You promised me you guys would watch her tonight." "I'm sorry Matt, but Jay and Mason ran off and got high. They came back to the house and...we just can't watch her tonight. I'm sorry." Toby quickly said as he pushed Aaliyah into Matt's arms and disappeared. Matt sighed and bit his lip as he felt disappointment welling up in his throat.

"Who is this? Is she yours?" Natalie asked as she poked the girl's stomach. Aaliyah giggled as her arms wrapped around Matt's neck. "She's not mine. My best friend is in Italy right now and this is his child. My three friends and I were supposed to split the responsibility of taking care of her for two weeks. Unfortunately its been just me for the past week and a half. And they promised me they would watch her tonight." Matt said with a sigh. Aaliyah turned towards him and saw his sad expression. "Don worry. Be happy." She said as she pressed a kiss to his cheek, making Matt's frown perk up. "Well, dinner?" Matt asked looking at Natalie. They were seated and Natalie went to use the bathroom. Matt set Aaliyah down in her seat that the waiter had given them before sitting down himself. "Sweetheart, I know you can understand most everything people say. So, please for the love of god, don't cause a scene tonight. It could be any other night, but not tonight. I really want this to go well." Matt pleaded. Aaliyah nodded and Matt sat back in relief. And thankfully Aaliyah didn't cause a scene the entire night. She just sat and played with her kangaroo squishy quietly. Matt kept an eye on her, making sure she wasn't causing any trouble every couple of minutes. "Matt, I'm sorry to point this out, but you aren't paying attention to anything I've been saying or asking you." Natalie said. "I'm sorry. It's just...have you ever taken care of a baby before?" Natalie shook her head and Matt nodded. "Well, I'm going to tell you what it's like."

Matt took a breath before talking. "You can't stray your attention too far otherwise that baby could be in danger. You have to pay attention to them at all times, it's as simple as that." "Well I can't say I want to take care of a baby while on a date." "This was out of my control. Her parents are in Italy, both of their families don't live in this country, her godmother is working at her office, and all of my friends are high and acting like children. I can't just call someone I don't know to watch her. Especially last minute." Matt explained. Natalie sighed, "I'm sure you could've called somebody. What about your family?" Matt shook his head quickly and sucked in a breath. "Even if they weren't in America where I'm from, I wouldn't call them. My family isn't the most responsible." Natalie noticed his change of attitude and her heart dropped in her chest. "You don't like your family. Do you?" Matt shook his head and was thankful their food came. Thankfully the conversation was changed back to their jobs. When Matt told her he was a youtuber and was part of a popular podcast, Natalie seemed a bit harsh towards him, constantly degrading his job and his choice of lifestyle. When Matt took Aaliyah to the bathroom and came back, Natalie was gone. In fact, she paid for their food and left him a note. I felt sorry that you couldn't pay for our dinner with your job, she left written on the napkin. Matt bit his lip and couldn't believe how rude she had turned out to be. Aaliyah was playing with her squishy when she was suddenly lifted out of her chair. Matt had picked her up and left the restaurant, desperately trying not to lose his calm composure. He buckled Aaliyah into her car seat before starting the drive home.

Matt felt more defeated than he ever had, and he wished his friends would help him. The next morning Matt went downstairs constantly brushing the tears off his face. He was so overwhelmed with everything that he was starting to have a breakdown. "Matt, you okay mate?" Toby asked. "No I'm not okay!" Matt exclaimed as he put his head on the table. "I've been taking care of a baby by myself for almost two weeks and I'm angry that not a single one of my friends has helped me!" "We'll take care of her today and tomorrow until Cam and Eric get back, I promise." Matt nodded and released a shaky breath. Everything was going good as Matt was able to record for his channel and they finished filming for the main channel on Saturday and Sunday. But when Matt came home Sunday night, he was absolutely livid. Instead of being responsible, his managers were high and still smoking. Aaliyah was in the living room and Matt picked her up from the playpen, blanket and all. Matt didn't hesitate to leave the house right away before walking to Eric and Cam's house. He opened the door to find his three friends having a gathering with their other Australian gaming friends while smoking weed or vaping. Matt clenched his jaw shut to avoid screaming in frustration before slamming the door shut. Matt walked to his car and drove them both to their office building only to find their intern and a few of their personal friends vaping outside. They had come outside because the office was full of their vape smoke and they couldn't breath. 

So Matt was running out of options. He was starting to panic again and he drove to the only place he knew was left; Cam's older sister Marina, who was also Aaliyah's godmother. Matt parked at the curb and was desperately clinging to his calmness. He frantically rang Marina's doorbell until she opened the door. "Matt, how are you?" She asked with a smile. "Not good. Can you please watch Aaliyah? I need to use your bathroom." Marina nodded before taking the baby as Matt rushed off. She heard the door slam shut and lock as she sat down in her living room. Marina knew Matt quite well as she, Cam, Eric, and Matt met up for dinners quite often, rotating between houses. She had never seen Matt act like this and she knew something was off as she recieved a phone call from Cam. "Do you know where Matt is? He's not answering his phone and Aaliyah is gone." She explained to the best of her knowledge what had happened to her younger brother. Cam said that he and Eric would be right over before hanging up the phone. Marina tucked Aaliyah into her arms before going towards the bathroom. She rapped her knuckles softly on the door. "Matt? Are you okay?" She heard strangled sounds coming from the other side as she tried to open the door. "I'm...fine." He rasped out. "Cameron and Eric are on their way over, just so you know." Marina returned to the living room and turned on the tv while rocking Aaliyah slightly back and forth. 

Twenty minutes later Cam and Eric arrived. She let them in and before Marina could tell them about Matt, Eric beat her to it. "Where's Matt?" "In the bathroom. He's acting all strange. It sounds like he's choking in there." Eric's eyes widened and he took off for the bathroom. He knocked on the door to hear Matt say, "Go away." "It's me Matty." The door unlocked and Eric opened the door enought to slip into the room and lock the door behind him. Matt was huddled in a ball on the floor, having a mental breakdown. Eric saw him and he instantly kneeled down in front of him and wrapped his arms around the taller. "Hey, what happened bud?" Eric asked him softly. Matt clung onto Eric and buried his face in his chest as he felt Eric's fingers tangle in his hair. "Everything happened." "Can you explain?" Eric asked. Matt nodded and told Eric everything that had happened over the past two weeks. "Its just been building and building until I finally just started panicking. I wasn't meant to take care of a kid Nova!" Matt cried out as he buried his face in Eric's chest. "Shh, Matty you did a great job. You knew that she shouldn't be in places where there's smoke and you made sure she was safe. This Natalie chick sounds like a complete donkey because she didn't like you. When our friends should've been there to take care of her and they weren't, you stepped up and took the responsibility. Matty, I know you're scared because of what happened in your childhood and that it'll repeat, but you did amazing. Don't let this affect you." Eric gave him another big hug and pulled him closer. 

"And if you don't want to tell anyone about your fear, then don't. Matty, it's all up to you." Matt nodded and his breathing started decreasing back to normal. "I'm so-" "Matty, don't even say it. There's nothing to be sorry for and I don't know how I can get that through to you." Matt opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it. Instead, he just hugged his best friend a little tighter. Eric smiled and ruffled Matt's hair again. A knock sounded from the door before Cam's voice flooded through. "Eric? Matt? Is everything okay in there?" "Yes it is Cam. We'll be out in a few minutes." Eric answered as he continued to play with Matt's hair. Cam's footsteps retreated down the hall and Matt breathed out in relief. "I think our friends deserve an explanation of why I cared about this so much. None of them besides you know about anything that happened." "If you want to tell them, I'll be there to support you." Matt hugged him tightly before his shorter friend pulled him to his feet. "C'mon Matty. Don't be afraid of facing my family and your friends out there. And keep in mind, Aaliyah won't have a clue." Matt gave a weak laugh as he grabbed Eric's hand for support. "Could you give me a bit of circulation Matty?" Eric whispered. Matt relented a big on his grip and apologized. "Stop apologizing. This wasn't your fault." Eric said as he squeezed Matt's hand back just as strong. 

Eric led them back to the living room of Marina's house slowly to keep Matt calm. Matt noticed that he was met instantly by two different sets to eyes. His gaze instantly dropped to the floor as he tried to hide himself behind Eric. Eric coaxed him back out and dropped them both on the couch. "Matty, if you want to explain what happened, Cam might be a great person to start with." Marina retreated from the room with Aaliyah to the basement to play with some toys. Matt was visibly shaking and Eric moved his arm to wrap around him. His best friend crumpled into a ball and tucked into his side, which made Eric's heart break. He leaned over to whisper in Matt's ear. "Matty, I promise you that Cam won't look at you differently. Years ago I was in the same position when I told him about Andrew and the things he did. I promise you, Cam will not hate you." Eric reassured him. Matt nodded and slowly uncurled. He had tears shining in his eyes and Cam was instantly alert. He watched Eric nudge him slightly before Matt started talking. Matt told him all about his childhood and how he had been verbally and physically abused by his parents, which led to fear of falling in love and having a family. He was afraid if he fell in love he would end up being the same as his parents.

When Matt was done, he crumpled back into Eric, the shorter wrapping his arms around him. "We should go home. Help him calm down." Eric said softly to Cam. Aaliyah was going to spend the night with Marina so things could calm down a bit. Cam drove Matt's car back home while Eric and Matt stayed in the backseat. "Cam?" Matt's voice seemed so small against the traffic going on around them. "Yes Matt?" "Thank you. Thank you for not freaking out on me." "Of course bud." Cam answered him with a smile. "You know, your confession isn't as bad as you think. I remember when Eric told me about Andrew. He was beyond terrified and I couldn't even comfort him because we were on different continents. The best thing to do when telling someone something important is to have confidence in whoever you're telling." Matt slowly nodded before hiding back in Eric's chest. Cam parked the car and Matt still clung to Eric as they climbed the stairs. "Go get changed to sleep. I know you want some company while you sleep tonight." Matt nodded and went to go change. Cam came up the stairs behind Eric and wrapped his arms around his waist. Eric hummed and leaned back into the taller's chest. "Is he okay?" Cam asked softly and Eric nodded. "He'll be fine. As long as someone is with him, he'll be okay." Cam kissed the side of his head before passing Jay's room to stop at Eric's. Cam entered the room and threw some clothes at Eric. "Get changed so we can all sleep peacefully." Eric grinned and five minutes later Eric had curled up underneath his bedsheets with Matt pressed against his side. Matt was laying half on top of him and pressing his face into Eric's shirt as he was still embarrassed and panicked. 

Matt quickly fell asleep, and Eric grinned. "It's just like we have two children." Cam shot him a look as he climbed onto the bed next to Eric. "One kid is enough for now." Eric laughed softly as he looked up at Cam. Cam just sat there and messed with Eric's brown hair before he was slowly drifting off too. "I love you Nidge." Cam whispered. "I love you too Kiwi." Eric whispered back as the two fell asleep. The next morning, Toby stumbled into Matt's room to find it empty. Toby quickly alerted the house and they started looking for their friend. They looked everywhere and finally tried Eric's room. They pushed open the door to find Cam and Eric cuddling in Eric's bed, Toby and Ryan shaking the two lovebirds awake. Eric whined in protest and clung tighter to Cam. Cam laughed and pulled the shorter of the two up to sit next to him. Eric slumped against the taller, Cam's hand winding its way into Eric's hair. "Where's Matt? We can't find him anywhere." "He's here with us." Eric said sleepily. He yawned again and Cam pressed a kiss to his forehead. Eric was mostly asleep and Cam maneuvered him to be laying down again. "We found Matt last night at Marina's. He had taken Aaliyah there and he was freaking out when we got there. Eric calmed him down, and he told us that he was hardly helped at all. You all promised us you'd help take care of Aaliyah while we were in Italy." Cam said. He noticed several of his friends' guilty looks and he shook his head. "Look, I'm not mad. Eric was a bit disappointed but we weren't worried about that. We were worried about the safety of our daughter." Cam said as Matt came out of the bathroom adjoined to Eric's room rubbing his eyes. 

He noticed his friends standing there and he sqeaked in surprise. He rushed back over to the bed and scrambled under the covers and clung to Eric, effectively waking the younger up. Eric blinked awake and noticed Matt shaking against him. Eric shot up to a sitting position and curled an arm around his best friend. Matt buried himself into Eric and tried to relax. Eric met eyes with Cam and they seemed to have a silent conversation. Cam nodded and he turned back towards his friends. "What's going on?" Jay asked in confusion. "Well, Matt's going through something right now, and he's a little uncomfortable." The group of friends noticed how shaky Matt was against Eric and they immediatly asked if he was okay. Cam turned to look at Eric and they had another silent conversation before Toby sighed. "Could you two stop having conversations without us?" Eric frowned at his friends and hugged Matt a little tighter to him. "What is going on?" Ryan asked as he stared at Matt with concern. "Could you all get out? Please?" Matt mumbled. "What did he say?" "I asked if you all could get out. These last two weeks have been crap for me, no thanks to all of you!" Matt shouted as he sat up to glare at all of the people standing in front of him. He was about to yell again when Eric tugged him down again into a hug. He didn't realize that he had been crying while shouting at his friends. "Shh. Just relax Matty." Eric whispered in his ear. Matt did as told and felt himself drifting off to sleep again as Eric played with his hair. 

Matt fell asleep curled up into his best friend's chest for the second time in a row. "Eric, what's going on?" "I'm not going to answer that. It's up to Matt to tell you. But I will say it relates to taking care of our daughter for the past two weeks by himself." Eric's hand continuously ran through Matt's hair and occasionally pushed it back from his forehead. "Look, Matt had a rough childhood. Give him time to gain the confidence to tell you. He's managed to tell Cam, and I know he wants to tell you guys. Just give him time." Eric whispered. Cam smiled at the smaller, proud of him for not losing his composure. Once everyone left, Cam pressed a kiss to Eric's forehead. "I'm proud of you Nidge." "What for?" Eric asked as Cam stood up from the bed. "For standing by Matt's side against our friends and staying calm. Normally you'd be yelling and losing your composure." Eric just smiled as Cam went into the bathroom to shower. Eric gently laid Matt down against the mattress when he switched places with Cam to take his shower. When they were both done showering, they stood at the balcony overlooking the first floor. "I think that vacation helped us a lot." Cam said as Eric tucked himself into his side. He could feel the shorter's grin without even looking. "I think it did too. I'm sorry for being such a jerk." 

"You weren't being a jerk. You were being human." "That doesn't mean I wasn't being blindly stupid." "You were just being irrational. That doesn't mean that you can't be human. That's why we went on the vacation. To fix things. Which is exactly what we did. We both learned better ways to communicate and compromise." Eric hummed in content and tugged on the bottom of Cam's shirt. Cam looked down at him before realizing what he wanted. He bent over far enough for Eric to stand on his tiptoes and press a kiss to his lips. "Ti amo Cameron." "I don't know Italian, but I'm going to guess it translates to I love you." "Si" Eric said with a grin. Cam wrapped his arms around Eric and kissed his forehead. "I love you. And I'll always love you, no matter what hardships come up."


End file.
